Harry Potter and the Great War
by ThePQ4
Summary: Spoilers for OotP AU: Harry arrives at OotP HQ, where he learns of his true paternity, undergoes a drastic change to hide from the Dark Lord. At school, the last thing he ever expects happens when he falls in love with Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley.
1. Chapter One: The Secret

Harry Potter and the Great War.

Chapter One

"Remus! What are you doing here?" 

"It has started Harry." Remus pushed past him into the house. "Where is everyone?"

"My Aunt and Uncle had a dinner party and Dudley is upstairs on the telephone." Harry Potter, a soon to be 16 year old, watched the man he considered to be part of his only 'true' family left, pace the kitchen in a fluster.

"Pack. Take everything you'll need."

"But Remus, I only just-."

"Harry, spell or no spell, you are still vulnerable here." He began patting his pockets for something. "Damn it! Where is Tonks?" 

"Sorry Remus!" Tonks, full name Nymphadora Tonks, was a young auror witch, of whom Harry also considered part of his non-blood-related family, stumbled inside. "My broom got blown a little bit off course." 

"Is it just the two of you?" Harry asked, motioning them to follow him upstairs to his room.

"Unfortunately." Remus pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Severus wanted to come but he's been injured."

"Snape was injured?" Harry asked, half worried, half overjoyed.

Tonks sighed, opening Harry's closet. "He was attacked coming to Headquarters." 

"By what?"

"Not Death Eaters, thank god." Remus sighed tossing some books in on top of the clothes that Tonks had jus tossed into Harry's open trunk. 

"I suppose he's staying at Headquarters then?" Harry asked. 

"Yes, on Dumbledore's orders of course. Do we have everything?" Remus nodded, while closing the lid of Harry's trunk.

"If I don't, oh well." Harry knew he should be frightened, but he wasn't. He was being strong, not only for himself, but for the all of the Magic-world. 

"I can't wait until you can apperate." Remus sighed, and with the help of Tonks, began to carry the trunk down to the kitchen.  "Got your wand?"

"Always, Remus." Harry assured him. 

"Lets go then." 

__

An hour or so later, the three looked up at number 12 Grimmauld Place. Since Sirius's fateful death, the house seemed…well…brighter perhaps. Harry could tell, even from the outside, that someone had been busy cleaning, and making it inhabitable. He wondered if Kreacher was still around. He knew he probably was.

"Now I want to be quiet. Mrs. Black is as bad, and annoying as she ever has been. We still can't get her painting down, and Severus hasn't been very…err…pleasant since his accident, and isn't pleased with being laid up in the house all the time." Remus spoke, tapping the handle of his broomstick against the pavement. 

A minute later, Remus was setting their brooms in a tall umbrella holder near the door, calling. "Severus? Molly? Arthur?" 

"Are Hermione and Ron here?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No, not for a few more weeks yet." Remus led Harry and Tonks into the kitchen. Harry saw, as he passed the living room, that Severus Snape, his dreaded Potions professor, was asleep in the chair, shirtless, with bloodstained bandages around his right arm, and his stomach. A pencil was dangling from his fingers, and a notebook was in his lap. He could see that the page was nearly filled, and that the notebook was nearly filled, judging from the number of pages on either side of the covers. 

"Is he OK?" Harry asked, as they entered the kitchen, where Tonks picked up a note from Molly and looked it over, before handing it to Remus, who murmured it aloud.

_Remus, Tonks, and Harry, _

_   Severus was sleeping when we left. Be back later this week, with Hermione (her letter is on top of the refridgerator (Harry, you must tell me how to spell that). Left some dinner for you all in the oven, if you're hungry, and baked some muffins for your for breakfast. Stop by tomorrow near lunch. _

_Love,_

_Molly Weasley._

Remus pocketed the letter away, and pulled out the plates of food for them all from the oven.  "Hungry Harry?"

Never one to turn down Mrs. Weasley's excellent cooking, Harry sat down next to Remus, as they heard Severus curse, and stand from his chair, before clomping into the kitchen in his (what Harry thought to be-) dragon-hide pants, and combat-type boots. 

"Evening Severus." Remus spoke to him through a forkful of spaghetti. 

"Sleep well?" Tonks asked.

Severus grunted at them both, and threw his notebook into the trash bin, before murmuring under his breath. "Stupid worthless…crap job…fine mess I've got…dumbest damn…blood mother-."

"Severus!" Remus quickly stood before his sentences became anymore understandable, and got the notebook from the trash. "What's wrong with you? You begged us to get this for you out of your office!"

"It's worthless Remus. Put it back in the bin." Severus sounded bitter (then again, Harry thought, he usually did).

"What do you mean? You haven't even tried any of these things."

"Remus…there is no part of the body, on any animal, no herb or plant, that can aid me in what I need, no what WE need it to do." 

"Well don't worry!" Remus assured him. "I'm sure that Flitwick will work out a charm, or spell." Remus watched him as Severus moved to the sink, where he began to remove the bandages. "Do you have to do that here?" Remus turned away from the sight.

The actions of the two grown men puzzled Harry. Tonks however, seemed unfazed by the two. 

"Have to do it here, Lupin." Severus said. "That portrait that Mrs. Black hung in her bathroom screams about me getting my filthy traitorous blood on her porcelain sink." The injuries looked horrible on his arm. Three large gashes, very close together, as though done with fingernails of some kind, looked to be deep, but not infected or anything. He seemed to be doing something right. 

Remus sighed, pulling some more bandaging from the First-aid drawer. "Do you want some help?" 

"No." Severus poured a bit of rubbing alcohol over his wound, without flinching (Harry remembered the time when he was young, and had cut open his leg on something, and Aunt Petunia had poured loads of the stuff over it…felt like salt almost, burning into his skin). 

Tonks set her plate on the counter. "Well, I'm off to bed then. Good night gentlemen." 

"Good night Tonks." Remus nodded at her while Severus grunted.

"Good night Tonks." Harry spoke after he had gulped down half his glass of water.

"Oh, Remus…before you sit down, would you mind going to get me my crushed Shebmory? It's among the things inside-."

"I'll find it." Remus assured him, and exited the kitchen after Tonks.

Severus turned to lean against the edge of the sink, with a towel pressed against his slowly bleeding wounds. 

"So…" Severus spoke gruffly in the direction of Harry. "Err…how's you summer been?"

Harry was surprised, but answered quickly, least he get the Professor annoyed. "Fine Sir.

"Cut the Sir, and Professor crap, Potter. It's summer vacation." He turned to the sink to run some more alcohol over the wound. "Dumbledore wish us to continue our occlumency classes. He has gotten special permission from the Ministry for you, Miss Granger, and Mr. Weasley to use magic this summer, as long as you'll be here under supervision for the majority of the summer." 

"That sounds fine…err…"

Severus sighed. "You may call me Snape, or Severus, but don't get used to it Potter." 

"Well if we're going to be using those kind of names, perhaps you should begin calling me Harry?" Harry felt his temper rising.

"I am in no mood to argue right now." Severus turned to Harry. "What do you say to an hour a day?"

"That sounds fine…Snape." 

"Very good, _Potter_." Snape nodded. "And as long as you, Miss…Hermione, and I are going to be cooped up here by ourselves most of the time for the next few years, what do you say to err…working on your potions a bit? I see you've signed up for my N.E.W.T classes."

"Alright." Harry nodded. "That sounds fine." 

"Good." Snape nodded, as Remus returned, brandishing a large bottle filled with a purple sort of herb. 

"I dare say, Severus! Do you honestly need THIS much?" Remus plunked the bottle down with a hollow type sound on the counter top.

"Buying in bulk is cheaper, Remus. You know that, and you will also remember that it is a key ingredient in YOUR particular potion, so I happen to go through plenty of it." Severus began to pour some of the purple herb into his palm, and rub it into his skin (it somehow liquefied, and dripped into his wounds, making them glow purple). "Now if you will kind stop nagging me, you pompous old-." He seemed to not be directing the insults to anyone in particular.

Harry watched as Remus sighed, and Severus began to rewrap his arm. A moment later, he was unwrapping he wounds on his stomach.

The wounds on Severus's stomach where much worse then those on his arm. They where longer, and deeper. They looked kind of puffy, but not infected. They bled slowly down his skin, as the pressure that had been applied to them was taken off. Severus tossed the bloody bandages into the trashcan. 

"Do you need another towel?" Remus whispered, looking away from the wounds.

"No." Severus turned away to wash the wounds without having to look at the pain that seemed to be flashing over Remus's eyes. 

"Are you finished Harry?" Remus tried to sound cheerful, but Harry could still see the feelings that where flashing across Remus's face.

"Err…yea." Harry carried his plate to the counter top, where he sat it on top of Tonks's plate. "I think I'll be off to bed then. Same room as usual?" 

"Of course Harry." Remus nodded. "I've already carried your trunk upstairs." 

"Good night then." Harry nodded at the two.

Severus grunted again, and Remus gave him a smile. "Sleep well Harry."

Harry heard Severus grunt at Remus after he had exited the kitchen. "You've never told _me_ to sleep well."

"Don't be bitter Severus." Remus's voice sounded heartfelt.

Harry leaned near the door to over hear the conversation.

"I'm allowed my bitter days, Lupin."

"We're alone now. You don't have to call me Lupin." Remus whispered.

"Don't get on my nerves."

"Does it hurt, Severus?"

"Yes it bloody hurts."

"More then-."

Remus didn't have to finish his sentence. "Nothing hurts worse then that, Remus Lupin!"

Remus was quiet for a moment, and Harry heard some footsteps, and just about jumped a foot in the air, as Severus's cruel looking face suddenly pushed the door open.

"AH!" Harry screamed suddenly falling on his backside.

"You'll do well to remember I am very good at what I am hired to do for the Order, Potter." Severus snapped. "Ever try to listen in on a private conversation again, and I will 'personally' see to your expulsion." 

"S-s-sorry…Professor. I-I-."

"Go to bed Harry." Remus suddenly stepped in front of Severus, pushing him back into the kitchen. "Don't mind Severus. He's just-."

Harry didn't have to be told twice. He raced up the stairs, to the room he had shared with Ronald Weasley the summer before, and part of Christmas Vacation as well, the first Christmas he had ever spent away from Hogwarts.

Harry closed the door tightly behind him, and changed into his pajamas, before climbing into bed. Although he had recently taken to sleeping in the near nude, being stalked upon in the middle of the night by Kreacher, the house-elf of the Black Manor, while completely naked, did not sit well with him. 

As he lay back into the pillows, he wondered what Remus and Severus were talking about at that very moment…

__

The next morning, Harry awoke, to find that a few large muffins had been set on a plate, and set next to his bed, along with a glass of orange juice, and a short note from Remus, which he read as he picked at the muffin. 

_Harry,_

_  Ran into Diagon Alley for a few things for the week. If you find that you need anything, Molly will be running in as well next Wensday. Stay in the house with Severus! I know he's not exactly the _best_ person to be cooped in a house with, but I'll be back soon enough. Tonks is at the ministry offices, but should be back for lunch. See you in a few hours. _

_Remus_

Harry sighed. Great. Stuck in a house with Severus Snape for hours on end… Then he thought, maybe he would get an Occlumency lesson? He'd been practicing as often as he could, knowing how important it was now. 

"POTTER!" Severus's voice rang up the stairs. "I know you are awake up there!" 

"Coming…err…Serverus!" Harry knew that calling him Sir, or Professor would only anger him more. 

A few minutes later, the two stood in the living room.

"Lets work on Occlumency for awhile, if you don't mind." Severus seemed a little pleased to get it out of the way as soon as possible. 

"Sure." Harry nodded. He cleared his mind, but he felt as though there were still some kind of a doorway in his mind left open, just a crack…and he found it impossible to shut it. 

"Are you ready Harry?" Severus took out his wand. 

"Yes." Harry again tried to closer his mind out.

"_Legilimes_!" Severus called.

The visions of Remus showing up the night before suddenly raced over Harry's mind.

"_Protego!_" Harry yelled back.

Suddenly, a very odd vision crossed his eyes. It was of a Woman in large room, and a large bed. Severus was seen weeping at her side. Then it was of a Teenaged Severus, being hung upside down (Harry had seen this one before), struggling to keep his robes up over his dingy colored underwear, before it was of a young Severus, kissing a…

"STOP IT!" Severus ended before Harry could see who it was that the teenaged Severus had been kissing. "None of that was any of your business Potter! I've warned you before of using that spell during these sessions!"

"Sorry." Harry picked up his wand from where he had dropped it a moment before. "It was the only thing I could think of… Who was the woman? In the bed?"

Severus pressed a hand to his stomach, for a moment, before snapping. "Not that it's any of your business Potter, but it was mother." Harry knew that he had struck a nerve, but continued.

"And the…person? In the last thought?"

"MY PERSONAL LIFE IS NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS POTTER!" Severus yelled, waking Mrs. Black in her portrait..

"FILTHY BLOOD IN THE HOUSE OF BLACK! HOW DARE YOU TAKE OVER MY GOOD HOUSE-!" Severus closed the door to the living room.

"Clear your mind Potter." Severus seemed to have calmed. "Clear your mind, and lets begin again.

Again, Harry could not seem to close something in his mind.

"_Legilime_!" Severus called. 

It took a moment, but Harry seemed to keep him out of his thoughts.

"Very good Potter. Quite an improvement." Severus pulled back. 

"Thank you." Harry nodded.

Severus looked at the lock. Only fifteen minutes had passed. "One more go?"

"Sure." Harry cleared his mind. 

Severus called the spell again, and this time images from dreams that Harry had been having seemed to float over both of their minds.

"Protego!" Harry pointed his wand at Severus.

The images again changed, and Harry found himself looking at Severus…in bed, only this time older, recently even, with a…

"No!" Harry broke off the connection this time, and found Severus had fallen back into the recliner, clutching his left arm, where Harry could see that the mark of the death eater was burning.

Harry didn't care. 

"Did I see what I _think_ I just saw?" Harry's voice was cruel, and unfeeling.

Severus groaned, and began clawing at the mark in some kind of frenzy. "Potter, I'll answer all of your questions, but now is NOT the time." 

Harry's eyes were hard, as he turned from the room, and threw open the doors to where Mrs. Black was still screeching. 

Kreacher stood on the bottom step, agreeing with her.

"Why if it is not Harry Potter!" Kreacher stood up. "Has come back he has, to the house of Black! To muck it up with his powers, he has! Kreacher is not glad to see him he is not. Harry Potter has locked Kreacher out of his room he has." 

Mrs. Black seemed to have stopped screaming now, and was primping herself in the picture.

"I noticed that the Professor is in a bit of pain…" She smiled evily at him. "Hurt much?"

"Shut up you old hag." Harry stormed up the stairs, shoving past Kreacher to his room.

"Evil…vile little…" Mrs. Black had started up again.

__

"REMUS LUPIN!" Harry threw open the door of the bathroom later that night, when he knew that he and Remus could talk in private.

Remus was in the shower and peeked out a bit, "Err…Harry, do you mind? I'm…kind of busy."

"Remus, I don't care. Do you have 'any' idea what I saw today?"

"Well yes actually. Severus told me." Remus shut the water off, and awkwardly got the towel from where it sat on the toilet seat, trying not to expose himself. 

Harry sighed, and turned around. "Would either of you care to explain to me what I saw today?"

"Oh god Harry…please don't tell me I have to…err…_give you the talk_." 

"No you don't have to give me the talk! I know perfectly well what the two of you were doing in that memory! What I would like to know is what you were DOING with him in that memory!"

"Well…um…" Remus pushed back the shower curtain, the towel wrapped around his chest, and hung down to his knees (Harry could tell he was shy about his appearance, and perhaps even his 'assets', but he didn't really care at the moment). "Harry, really…could I at least get…err…presentable first? I swear, as soon as I'm dressed I'll tell you everything…well okay, I'll leave out some details to spare you the disgust, but otherwise, everything." 

Begrudgingly, Harry stepped outside, while Remus got dried off and dressed.

A few minutes later, the two sat in Remus's bedroom.

"Okay," Remus sighed sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at Harry, who sat in a comfortable chair across from him. "It all started in our Fifth year at Hogwarts. James was being cruel to him, and one day in the hallway he stopped me, to badger me about being a prefect and doing nothing to stop James from…well, hurting him, and embarrassing him." Remus's face was downcast. "I told him right then and there that I had no control over James and Sirius, but I promised I would never hurt him the way they did. He asked me why not. I replied, because I liked him…And I didn't mean in a…err…well…friendly sort of way. I meant in a romantic kind of way. You've seen him as a teenager, and you can't tell me that even as a straight-man you don't see that he must be even a little bit desirable." Remus's face brightened slightly, and he continued.

"Anyway, after that, it seemed that we bumped into each other more often when we were alone. In the hallways, in the library, after classes, after dinner…In Hogsmead. You have to understand, I rarely went to Hogsmead as a child, because of my…err…condition. Dumbledore tried to schedule them as far away from the full moon as possible to make sure that I could go, but there was always some kind of a conflict. So…one Holiday, it was Christmas I believe, in our 6th year, James and Sirius had gone home, and I was left on my own in the Gryffindor tower. Those days were rough for families, and everyone usually went home…well, the entire house was empty for the Holiday, as was Slytherin Tower, except for Severus…well, I suspected that Dumbledore knew then that Severus and I were…well…interested in each other, and he suggested that Severus move into the Gryffindor house for the remainder of the Holiday…just so that we'd have company, you see. Well…it turns out…that we did keep each other…a lot of company." Remus coughed, and went on.

"For the next year, Severus and I saw as much of each other as possible, where ever we could. Unfortunatly, at the end of 7th year…we had to split up, because…well…there were just to many things going on. I was going for an Aurors degree with James, while Sirius was trying for Curse-breaking for Gringotts, and Lily was trying to become a Healer. Severus…Severus had different plans. That summer, he joined ranks with Voldemort as Head-Potions maker and defensive planner. Little do you know, but…even though he was working with Dumbledore at the time, Severus still made the plans for the attack on your parents house.

"Don't get angry with him, Harry. He didn't mean for the _both_ to be killed. You see, Dumbledore was forming a plan to stop Voldemort once and for all…but…they arrived to late. It was also Severus who pulled you from the burning house, and deliver the news to Dumbledore that Voldemort was gone, even if for only awhile. We all knew that he would come back some how. Anyway, after all of that happened, and I got my teaching degree, and came to work at Hogwarts in your third year, I…well…I tried to patch things up with Severus. He was angry at me of course, thought I should hate the sight of him for having killed my best friends, but…I can't stay angry with Severus, you see. My life with out being with him at all was so horrible. No one would give me a job, and…transformation isn't exactly glamorous without his potion." Remus cringed. "Eventually, he forgave me, and started off again… Then, last summer, when we started up the Order again…we got into an argument. I wanted him to stay here with me, so I that I could be around him and keep an eye on him. Sirius didn't like that idea at all. You see, Sirius never liked Severus, and never understood what I could see in him….

"Eventually, Severus left, and went back to Hogwarts to teach for the year, although I saw him off and on… But then, when term let out, and he came to stop by headquarters for a meeting….he was attacked, as you know… I've…I've been taking care of him I guess." Remus stopped, and looked up at Harry's hard eyes. "Oh Harry! This is so stupid! It's not like I'm a child, having relations with a Professor! We're the same age, Severus and I!"

"You're…you're like my Uncle or something!" Harry stood up suddenly. "And you're off having sex-capades with my POTIONS professor? The one Professor in all of Hogwarts that I hate with some kind of fury!"

"Harry!" Remus stood up suddenly. "You don't hate him! You can't hate him!" 

"Why not?" Harry snapped.

"Oh my.." Remus clamped his hands over his mouth. "I really shouldn't be telling you this at all! Why are we talking about this? Change the subject!"

"Why shouldn't I hate Snape?"

"Oh dear…" Remus sighed. "Oh dear, oh dear… I really can't say anything to you Harry! It isn't my place! Dumbledore, or Severus will tell you when they feel it's the time for you to know!"

"What are you talking about Remus!" Harry asked. "Tell me! Tell me now!" He took out his wand. "I'll hex you! And I won't get in trouble for it either! I have permission to use Magic this summer!" 

"Oh dear…Oh my…" Remus was flustered, shaking his hands out. "Harry…Oh god…Harry, ask Severus, not me. I don't want to get into this."

"TELL ME LUPIN!" Harry yelled. He had never called Remus "Lupin" before, but Remus could tell that he was very angry, and annoyed.

"Harry…well…it's just…oh god…Harry, Snape isn't…well…he isn't who you think he is."

"What do you mean?" Harry's voice was cold, dropping to the floor like ice, and shattering upon the floor.

"Oh dear…well Harry…"

Severus suddenly threw open the door, "REMUS LUPIN! IF YOU TELL HIM WHAT I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO TELL HIM I WILL RIP YOUR HEART OUT THROUGH YOUR NOSE!" 

"Severus…Oh god Severus, he was very insistent…I think you'd better tell him right now…"

"I AM NOT TELLING HIM ANYTHING RIG HT NOW, LUPIN!" Severus hissed.

"Severus, honestly…He's 16 years old…"

"He is NOT sixteen years old for another 4 days!"

"He's old enough to know!" Remus insisted.

"Old enough to know WHAT?" Harry asked.

"What is all the yelling?" Tonks asked, suddenly running into the room, and tripping over the rug. "AH!"

"Oh god…" Remus sighed, racing to help Tonks up. "Are you alright?"

"Fine Remus. What's going on here?"  
"Well…err…we were going to tell…to tell Harry…the thing."

"WHAT THING?!" Harry yelled.

"Perhaps," Severus looked from Harry to Remus. "We should wait until the headmaster is here?"

"No need Severus." Dumbledore suddenly swooped in. "Just got here. Heard that Molly was cooking stroganoff for dinner. Couldn't resist."

Dumbledore looked well, but Harry could tell that something was bothering him.

"Severus," Dumbledore spoke softly. "It is time to tell the boy."

"Tell the boy what?" Severus spoke stubbornly. "I don't want him to know."

"Severus…" Dumbledore crossed his arms. "Stop acting like a child."

"Dumbledore, I only just found out myself! I don't…I know you're trying to help me, but…" 

"Severus…" Dumbledore was insistent.

"Oh god, fine!" Severus threw his hands in the air, before placing them on his hips, and turning towards Harry. "Alright, you little guttersnipe. Listen, and listen very well, because I am only going to tell you this ONE TIME. If you want it repeated for you, you'll have to talk to your lovely Headmaster here. I slept with Lily Potter, and we had an affair for several weeks. You are not James Potter's son. Lily preformed a gene-altering charm, so no one…so no one…oh god. Dumbledore you…you tell him." Severus stumbled from the room, to the bathroom, where everyone heard him throwing up, followed by the cackles of Mrs. Black's photo. 

"I…I…I'm his…his son." Harry was flabbergasted. "I'm Severus Snape's son?!"

"Harry, calm down." Dumbledore held him back. "We were going to tell you as soon as you got here…but…but Severus told us he needed some time to adjust. We just found a bundle of your mother's letters to your Aunt Petunia, explaining the situation...the letters however, where never sent. They would found in a compartment in her old desk in her room the castle." Dumbledore pulled him to the bed. 

"But…but. I'm…I'm still me right?"

"Well…yes. Of course you'll always be you…but Severus will be appointed your legal guardian by the Ministry." 

"No! I can't! What of that spell between Aunt Petunia and I?"

"As long as you still continue to visit the house every year, and Number Four still remains in your mind, as your home…the spell will work perfectly fine." 

"Does this…does this mean that…that I'll be…staying with Snape from now on though?"  
"I'm afraid so Harry." Dumbledore nodded. "But! Severus will be staying here for the remainder of vacation, due to his injuries." 

"But…I don't understand. He…he's with Remus…Why would he be…be with…with my Mum?"

Dumbledore pursed his lips. "I'm afraid Harry, that those are questions you will have to ask your…your father." 

"I'll go check on him Headmaster." Remus turned from the room quietly, and went to the bathroom, where he quietly knocked on the door, and allowed himself in.

"Professor Dumbledore…the spell…will it ever…you know, wear off?" 

"No." Dumbledore shook his head. "You can however take potions if you would like to see your…err…truly meant image." 

"No." Harry shook his head. "I just…I just wanted to make sure that…Well, whatever."

"Come Harry…I dare say that all this excitement has made me a bit hungry." Dumbledore stood. "Lets go get a bit of Molly's fine cooking. You too Tonks." He put a hand on either of their shoulders, and led them from the sounds of Remus's comforting voices through the heavy door, Mrs. Black's vile laughter, and the occasional sound of Severus throwing up. 

Severus did not join them for dinner that night. Remus however, came down a few minutes after the others had, making the excuse that Severus was not hungry and he would take something upstairs to him later. 

The table was unusually quiet, no thanks to Dumbledore's efforts to start a conversation.

"All right, this is ridiculous!" Dumbledore tossed his napkin down, and sighed. "Just because we've delivered a bit of news to a few people, doesn't mean we all have to effected! Most of us already knew!"

"Beg your pardon, Albus, but…" Remus sighed. "Maybe Severus was right. We should have waited." 

"Oh come now! Harry would have figured it out anyway."

"Was my mom smitten with…with, Snape?" Harry asked quietly.

"Err…" Remus looked down at his plate. "Perhaps we should discuss this some other time, Harry?"

"No, I want to know. Did she really love him, or was she just feuding with my Dad…err…James?" 

Remus sighed. "Severus was angry with me about something, and Lily…Lily had always had a soft spot when it came to Severus. She'd fancied him since the first day on the train. They had sat in a car together, although Severus wasn't interested in her at all. James was jealous….It was why he was always fighting with Severus…." Remus looked down at his food, and pushed it away. "I'm not hungry anymore. Delicious Molly, but I can't eat right now."

"Understandable Remus." Molly got up, and took away everyone's plates, since no one was eating. 

"One evening, Severus shows up at Lily and James's place…well, James had just left in a huff, because Lily wasn't cooperating about his latest scheme and well…to get back at him for being such a fool…they…err…shagged a bit." 

"Thanks for leaving out the gruesome details." Harry's voice was biting, and sarcastic.

"Anyway, over the next weeks, while James was still off somewhere, and Severus and I were fighting, they er…shagged a bit more, and a few months later, Lily found out she was pregnant. She knew it was Severus's, because the dates matched up. She quickly preformed a Gene-altering charm, which transformed a Snape baby, into well, a Potter baby…and that's how it all happened…At least to my knowledge. She never told James before he died. He wouldn't care I don't think. Honestly, I don't think James was ABLE to have children, but that's besides the point." Remus looked at the table, and then up at Harry. "The truth is Harry, is that…Severus didn't care for your mother the way she always hoped that he would. At one point she finally understood that, and that's why she began to go with James, and why they finally got married like James had always knew they would…" Remus looked away. "There was a prophecy with James's name on it too you see…" Remus repeated the memorized words.

"He who marries on a day in June, is destined to wed a woman who does not desire him for himself. The two will bear a child that is not their own, but his of a another mans…" Remus looked up at the startled faces, and shook his head. "James never heard the prophecy. He knew there was one, but…he was never interested in that. Sirius and I broke into the Department of Mysteries one night and accidentally broke it open… We were the only two who ever heard it. By that point, James was already married, and everyone knew that Lily was with child…It wasn't until we were leaving the office, and looked at the box…that we knew it was James's prophecy." 

Harry looked at the scrubbed wood table. "I'm over it now."

"Good." Dumbledore pulled his plate back. "Then lets finish this delicious meal, and play a game of oh…exploding snap, or Gobstones, mmm?"


	2. Chapter Two: The Potion

A/N: I won't scoff as the fan fiction-dom of Harry Potter ignores one of my best pieces of fan fiction ever to grace this hellhole… Ha ha.

Just kidding, although this place has gone pretty far down hill –drop me a review, please!! I know this is one of my best works, but some encouragement would be nice. –P.S. Also, I realize now, after a year has gone by since I've written some of this, this is completely out of character for all of them –but also realize, this is fucking fanfiction, so get over yourself you uptight jackasses, and read it anyway. Thank you, and remember that November 7th is International Feedback Day!

Chapter Two

The next morning Harry entered the kitchen to see Remus up to his elbows in soap suds, and Tonks quietly (which for some reason seemed very unusual) ate her cornflakes at the kitchen table.

"Morning." Harry greeted them.

"Morning Harry." Remus nodded at him, his hands still in the sink grasping for a sticky plate. "There are muffins in he fridge or I'm sure you can bully the location of the cereal out of Tonks." He set the still somewhat soapy dish into the plastic dish drainer.

"It's in with the pots." Tonks told him begrudgingly, seeming unwilling to share.

"That's already." Harry smiled. "I'm not very hungry."

"Severus wants to practice Occlumency again this morning Harry. I suggest you eat something, you know how annoyed Severus can get."

Harry opened the breadbox and withdrew one of Mrs. Weasley's blueberry muffins. "Oh ye of little faith. I'm fine." He still had to force the entire muffin down into his stomach.

Severus chose that particular moment to walk in. "Tonks! Have you been trying to wash my clothes again?"

Tonks gulped down a spoonful of cereal, "Err…well, sir…"

"Tonks! I am perfectly capable of using a washing machine, be it a muggle deathtrap or not!"

Harry suddenly noticed that Severus's robes, once jet black, had turned a shade of bright pink.

"Tonks, how did you do that?" Remus looked at Severus's robes. "Please don't tell me you tried to use one of your mother's charms!"

Tonks, her hair Harry noticed was pink today, looked downcast. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Tonks!" Severus threw his hands in the air. "You did this to ALL of my robes!"

"I was going to have Remus fix them before you saw them!" Tonks sighed. "You've been going around in dragon hides and bandages for days now." Severus cut Tonk's off to look at Remus.

"Can you fix them?"

"Oh course." Remus nodded. "I'll just have to lend you my book of basic household charms for next time." Remus had been scrubbing the same plate during the whole ordeal.

"There will be no next time!" Severus insisted. "YOU, Nymphadora Tonks, stay away from my laundry, and YOU Potter, stop looking at me with that look on your face." Severus then stormed from the kitchen.

Tonks pushed her bowl away and dropped her head on the table with a loud 'thunk' noise.

"Well, this has been exciting." Remus sprayed the dishes off before draining the sink. "I'm afraid I have a meeting this morning." He dried his hands on a dish towel." Harry, Occlumency at ten and Tonks, do try to stay out of Severus's way?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen, Remus." Tonks looked up. "I…err…I guess I should have tried the spell on some of my own clothes first."

"Mm…He'll get over it. I will see you two this evening; Harry, work extra hard on your Occlumency, Severus will be pleased."

And hour or so later Harry and Snape stood in the living room, their arms raised.

"Legitimes!" Severus called –only Harry did so at the exact same time and the spells collided creating a large portal hole in the middle of the living room.

The two screamed collectively as they were sucked within the portal and into each other's memories as invisible bystanders.

Harry's vision became cloudy before he dropped onto the ground and stared up at a tall hooded figure.

"Severus Snape…please step forward." The voice was familiar…Voldemort.

Harry watched as Severus stepped forward and bowed low to the ground.

"Your left arm."

Severus extracted his arm which seemed thin and frail and quite pale.

"Disimargo!" Voldemort touched the tip of his wand to Severus's skin. Severus tried to bite back a scream but it was no use. Voldemort cackled as the memory faded away and was replaced with a large mansion. In Wrought iron, the words 'Honorable House of Snape' was on the gate. Harry followed as a Severus, a young teenager, walked the sloping lawns.

"Severus." A deep gruff voice called from off from the side.

"Severus turned, "Yes Father?"

"Now that your mother is dead, you have three days to pay your things. I have a letter here from your headmaster that you may remain at school." The man looked like Severus only with an…addictive sort of charm.

Severus was quiet, "Fine, I no longer wish to reside here anyway."

"Good! Then you will go as soon as possible."

"Where are Mother's jewels?" Severus asked quietly. "She left them to me and do not like to me. I have a copy of the will."

His father scowled and the memory again faded away.

A cold voice came from behind Harry and he turned to see Severus Snape as he knew him today. "Are you liking what you see?" He asked.

"I-I'm sorry Professor. I didn't know." Severus jerked on his arm and they tumbled out of the portal into the living room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Potter, you will do kindly to NEVER do that EVER again."

"What is that you have no problem looking into MY past, my thoughts, and yet every time I happen to see yours, you blow off the handle?!"

"Because what I do is my job, and I don't take kindly to almost sixteen year olds looking over and scrutinizing my horrible life." Severus snapped.

Harry was quiet before he spoke, "Professor? What didn't my mother just get rid of me when she found out I wasn't James'?"

"How would I bloody know? She probably got it into her stupid head that if she was with my child I'd finally love her the way she wanted me to." Severus pursed his lips into a tight thin line, and strode from the room.

Later that evening Remus returned to Order Headquarters to find everyone at odds with everyone else. For instance, Severus was still angry with Tonks about the 'laundry incident', and Harry about the 'Occlumency Lesson Gone Awry'. Molly was angry with Severus for refusing to exit the living room at lunch, saying he 'wasn't hungry' –and possibly a few comments about her 'horrible cooking techniques', as well as a lucid comment about 'swill', as well as her husband for not calling to say he would be late. Tonks was annoyed with Kreacher and Mrs. Black for obvious reasons, while Harry had seemed to fall into one of his 'moods'.

"Um…evening, all." Remus set his hat on the hat rack, followed by his ragged and grey looking cloak. Severus grunted (which seemed to be his new favorite pastime) from the living room in reply, while Tonks gave him a cool 'Hello' from where she sat on the stairs.

"Where is everyone?" Remus asked Harry, who sat amidst a pile of papers beside the kitchen door working on his holiday homework.

"Molly", It suddenly occurred him to him that he had never called Mrs. Weasley by her first name. "is in the kitchen, and Arthur isn't back yet." Harry grabbed Remus's ankle before he pushed open the door to the kitchen. "You may not want to go in there. She's not in the brightest of moods."

"Oh my… I leave for a few-." Remus had made the mistake of opening the door and had to duck quickly from a hex that Molly sent his way. "MOLLY WEASLEY! You could have easily taken my head off!"

Harry looked past his piles of books and papers to gaze at Remus and Molly.

"Actually, your arms, but no matter." Molly shook her head. "Sorry, Remus."

"What are you in a tizzy about?"

"That vile…evil…despicable man about there!" Molly raged. "_First_ he insults my cooking, and now he's holed himself away in the living room with a cauldron –not to mention he's taken have of my potion ingredients."

Remus nodded, and Harry watched him work into the living room where he and Severus began to talk in a hushed voice.

"Harry!" Molly called somewhat pleasantly. "Could you come help me with dinner please?"

"Sure." He stood, stepping precariously over his homework.

He began to set the table for six (assuming that Arthur would stop by) and was surprised when Remus suddenly shoved a bubbling smog filled goblet into his hand. "Drink."

"Um…what is it?" Harry asked –never one to drink without asking first.

"Protection. Drink it."

Apprehensivly, Harry drank. Instantly he felt a familiar sort of tingle through his body. He grew taller, his fingers longer and more elegant looking. His clothes suddenly became tighter and when he saw his reflection in the toaster a few moments later, he screamed.

"What did you do to me?!" Harry asked, horrified. He looked…well, he looked like a young Severus, and even his scar was gone.

"I'll explain later. I have to go and speak with Dumbledore-." Remus began to exit the kitchen looking pleased.

"Hold on there, Slick." Harry stumbled grabbing the back of Remus's robes. "FIRST, you tell me what the hell just happened to me!"

"We –meaning Severus and I –well mostly, Severus, we took off your genetic charm." Remus explained. "Voldemort can't find Harry Potter if Harry Potter doesn't exist."

"What?" Harry felt the urge to wring Remus's neck.

"Don't worry –Severus knows the potion to change you back…I think."

"Remus!"

"I'm sorry Harry! You know we couldn't have told you, or you wouldn't have drank the potion! You have to stay like that."

"What-do-you-mean-I-have-to-stay-like-this?!" Harry was furious.

"harry, it's for your own protection! No one will know you are Harry Potter unless you tell them, and they actually believe you."

"Why didn't you consult me about this?"

"Harry, if we had told you, would you really have drunk the potion?"

Harry took another look at the toaster. "This is what I was meant to look like?"

"Of course."

"Is this the potion you were arguing about Severus with that first night?"

"Yes."

"What was the ingredient?"

"Err…well, um…"

"Tell me, Remus."

"Blood, Harry." Remus wrung his hands together. "Five drops of Severus's blood."


	3. The Disgruntled Girl

Chapter Three

Later the next week, Hermione arrived fresh off of the Knight Bus.

"Oh! It's so good to see you all!" Hermione hugged everyone, but stopped at Harry. "Who is this?"

"Um, that's Harry." Remus started to explain.

"Nice to meet you Harry." She nodded at him, and turned to Remus. "Now, where is Harry Potter?"

Remus motioned to the miniature Snape, "Hermione, this IS Harry Potter."

"That's not Harry." Hermione smiled, shaking her head. "In fact," She took a better look at him. "He looks a bit like Professor Snape."

"Err, Harry, why don't you take Hermione upstairs and explain?" Remus bustled the two up the stairs. "I think the meeting is about to start anyway."

A few minutes later, Harry had explained everything to Hermione, and was looking at himself in the mirror about his dresser.

"Err, Harry, I'd like to believe you, but.."

"Hermione, I can tell you every intimate little detail about our lives in the last five years." Harry turned from the mirror, and felt his shoulder length hair. "God, this is disgusting."

"Alright…who did Ron have a crush on fourth year."

"Fleur Delacour."

"That was easy… What did I use to straighten my hair at the Yule Ball?"

"Sleakzys."

"That was obvious…" Hermione sighed. "Okay, who dumped a pudding over in your Aunt and Uncle's house?"

"Dobby, the house elf."

"What's the organization I'm always asking you help me with?"

"Spew."

"It's not spew! It's S.P.E.W!"

"Exactly." Harry looked up at her, and smiled. His eyes still shown bright green, and Hermione looked deep withi them.

"Oh my god… It is you Harry!" Hermione flung her arms around him. "I've spent the last few weeks worrying, just about everything. I wrote to Mrs. Weasley and Professor Dumbledore…"

"I know." Harry hugged her back and ran his fingers through his hair.

Hermione's aunt had been killed in, what was being called, a freak bear mauling. Everyone in the magic world however believed that it may in deed however be the first muggle attack by Lord Voldemort.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"Its OK." Harry released her. "I'll get used to it."

"So…why Severus Snape?"

"Hermione, I don't want to get into that right now."

"Okay." She nodded, accepting the silence, but spoke a few moments later. "So, how's the new body working out for you?"

"It's a bloody nuisance!" Harry cursed. "I've washed my hair three times today and it just seems to get worse every time!"

"I'm sorry Harry… Maybe when we go to Diagon Alley, we can find a charm book or something on sanitation and hair care?"

"Oh god…" Harry fell onto the bed. "I can't do into Diagon Alley like this. I'll die!"

"Don't you see, Harry? That's the point! Voldemort can't find Harry Potter, if Harry Potter doesn't exist. If you don't look like yourself, then no one will know."

"Knock knock!" Remus entered the room with a potion. "Drink this."

"Whoa." Harry stopped Hermione before she took the goblet. "Ask what it is first. I learned that the hard way."

"What is it, Remus?" Hermione asked.

"Err…well, it's really about the same thing that Harry drank, with a few minor alterations."

"And why do _I_ have to drink this?" Hermione sounded surprised.

"Because, as Harry is Snape's son, he'll be in Slytherin next year, and-."

"What?! Back up!"

"Oh my…" Remus looked bewildered. "You didn't tell her, Harry?"

Harry banged his head against the headboard a few times, "No!"

"Snape is your father?!" Hermione shrieked.

"Oh, Hermione…" He sighed.

"Calm down." Remus took the potion filled goblet away from her before she spilled it.

"Oh…I can't…I just…How?"

"Gee, Hermione, I thought you would have figured that part out." Harry sneered, sounding much like his sire.

"Oh, I could just kill you!" Hermione was quite angry with that. "Remus forget about the stupid potion! I do not care if he has to befriend stupid Draco Malfoy! I refuse to become a Slytherin for ickle-Harry-Potter-kins." She stormed from the room.

"I don't suppose you want to drink this, eh?" Remus mused in the direction of Harry. "Better go see if Severus can store it…"

Hermione still was not speaking to Harry two days later when Ron arrived, who already knew everything from his Mum.

"Guess that saying is true…" Ron was unpacking on his side of the room. "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family."

Harry looked down cast. He was no longer semi-popular , famous Harry Potter. Instead, he was lonely, dorky, dark, Harry…well, it may have said Potter on his birth certificate, but he was a Snape. Already, they were calling him Severus "Sev" Snape (the second) around headquarters, which was to be his alias while at school.

"Don't worry mate." Ron patted his arm. "I'll take the potion with you. Hermione is a git most of the time anyway."

"But she was so angry, Ron." Harry sighed.

"Harry, uh, Sev, Hermione isn't worth crying over. If she wants to ruin a friendship just because you didn't tell her who your father was, then that's her problem."

"I know."

"Well, do you want to come with me while I take it?"

"Sure, you might need some moral support to keep it down. It tastes a bit like the smell of dirty socks."

"Gross." Ron wrinkled his nose.

Shortly later, the two stood in the large bathroom, Ron looking disgusted at the potion.

"Just drink it down fast, Ron."

"Remus said this had Snape's and my Mom's blood in it,:

"Yea, key ingredients."

Ron took a deep breath and gulped it down. Instantly, he began to change. He shrink a few inches and his hair turned black, and his fingers longer, like Harry's now were.

"So…" Ron's voice had changed a few octaves as well. "How do I look?"

"Like my half brother. Your face is a bit more like your Mum's now." Harry moved so that he could look in the mirror. "It's not so bad."

"Eh." He felt his hair. "My hair isn't as gross as yours either."

"Lucky bastard."

"These clothes are actually pretty comfortable now too."

"Lucky again… I have to get a completely new wardrobe. Remus fixed some of my clothes but it will only last for so long."

"Ah." Ron nodded. "Well, most of my clothes were getting a bit small. Bully for me."

"Do you think we should try to talk to Hermione?"

"Are you kidding? She'd fly off the handle!"

"Ronald Weasley! I can't believe you!"

"Well, I'm not going to leave Harry to be devoured by the Slytherins!" Ron yelled back in Hermione's direction.

"Aren't you concerned that he lied to you?"

"He didn't lie to me! If you'd come down in early June like we'd asked you too, you'd be all filled in as well!"

"My aunt was murdered!"

"More of a reason to come!"

"Stop fighting you two and come sit down!" Molly snapped at them. "Enough is enough! If she wants to stay in Gryffindor without you, then that is her choice!"

The two sat as Severus, Remus, Tongs, Mundungus, Fred and George, Dumbledore, and several other Order members filed in. After Fred and George had started their joke shop (which took of quite well) they had finally been accepted into the Order, and could be expected at dinner frequently.

"Evening everyone." Dumbledore motioned for everyone who hadn't to find their seats. "As most of you know, Harry's genetic charm has been efficiently removed for the next year at least, and is going to be called from now on, Severus Snape the second –please refrain from slip-ups in public. Ron has been giving a similar potion is thus being called Dontë Snape the Fifth."

"Dontë?" Ron looked horrified. "You're kidding me, right?"

Severus glared at him, coolly. "Would you prefer Bartholomew?"

"I can't even spell that!"

"Well it was Dontë or Andromeda, Ronald." Dumbledore confessed. "We thought you'd prefer Dontë."

"Err…Dontë is a wonderful name."

"Doesn't my having two sons, the same age, from different mothers make me seem like a bit of an ass?" Severus asked.

"But you are an ass, Severus." Remus coughed into his napkin when Severus shot him a look.

"I'll continue to act as though I didn't hear that." Severus gave himself a large helping of Molly's scalloped potatoes.

"Severus, I doubt that anyone will question it. You've never made a big production out of your never being married. If you want, we can make up some marriage certificates."

"I don't think that I'd get married directly after my first wife died suddenly, would you Professor?"

"Severus, you're making this much more complicated then it has to be." Dumbledore was looking annoyed.

"Sorry Professor." Severus plunked the spoon back into the bowl of potatoes.

"Look, if anyone questions your decision to move your 'sons' from Durmstrang, you can hit them with one of your witty-sarcastic numbers."

Severus gave a hint of a smile and looked down at his full plate.


	4. The Shopping Trip

A/N: There is a transition from now on where Harry is always referred to as 'Sev', so when it says 'Sev', I mean Harry, not Severus. Severus is always referred to as Professor, Snape, or Severus. The same also goes with Ron being called 'Don'. Don is Ron, and so on, and so forth. Thanks.

Chapter Four.

Harry, now permanently being called Sev by the household, stood annoyed in the room he was sharing with Dontë (Don to most, but Professor Snape was still calling him by Dontë).

"What's the matter, Sev?" Dontë asked from where he lounged on the bed, reading a Marvin the Mad Muggle comic.

"I'm sick of my hair." Sev was repulsed by its state. "It would just figure that I get Snape's overactive oil glands, huh?"

Don shrugged. "We could try to find a shampoo or a book or something when we go to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

Sev sighed, "We'll have to. This is just sick."

"Hermione spoke to me today, did I tell you?"

"Really?" Sev asked, intrigued.

"Yea, she said 'pass the salt'." Don smiled and Harry chuckled. "Honestly though, I think she'll take the potion before summer is over."

"It suddenly occurred to me-." Harry turned. "We're like half brothers at the moment, and Severus is our father. Does that mean we're going to Diagon Ally with HIM tomorrow?"

Dontë looked horrified. "Oh no."

"Oh yes." Harry nodded. "We can't very well go with your Mum."

Dontë looked over at the clock, which read well past midnight. "It's to late to ask now. Bring it up at breakfast tomorrow."

"Who are we going to Diagon Alley with?" Dontë asked his mother at breakfast the next morning.

"Well, you'll be going to Remus and Severus of course." Molly replied. "What a stupid question, Don."

Well, Remus was going…so it would not be that bad, right?

Remus shuffled in, looking so you could tell that the full moon would soon be arriving. His hair seemed more silver, his skin was a sallow grey-paste like color.

"Are you feeling well, Remus?" Molly set a cup of coffee down for him on the table when he sat. "You don't look well.

"I'm fine, Molly." He assured her. "Severus is supposed to bring me my potion this morning. I'll be fit to go to Diagon Alley soon enough." Even though he spoke positive words, his tone did not approve.

Sev and Dontë looked at one another, and Remus caught them.

"You know, Severus isn't as bad as he tries to make himself seem. Why, I was talking to him just the other night-."

"We're sure he's not Remus." Sev stopped him. "We just prefer to spend as least amount of time with him as possible…alone."

"Mm." Remus mused, stirring some sugar and cream into his coffee. "I think that some _alone time _with Severus is just what the three of you need."

"No!" Sev and Dontë shouted in unison and a smile crossed Remus's lips.

"Don't worry, I have a few things I need in Diagon Alley this afternoon as well."

Reassured, the boys finished breakfast.

"Meet back here in exactly an hour." Severus was setting his watch, and made sure that everyone else did the same.

"Alright Severus." Remus nodded. "Exactly an hour."

A few minutes later, the three exited Gringotts (Harry having moved some of his funds to an alias account) with enough wizarding gold for what they would need to get by before a larger trip at the end of August.

"Alright, lets stop in at Madam Menkins first, then I need to stop at the apothecary, and we'll meet Severus back at Flourish and Blotts." Remus steered them towards the fine looking building.

Inside of Madam Menkins, Harry was surprised to see that Draco Malfoy was being tailored for new robes. Quicky, as to not be seen, he grabbed a few sets of robes in a size he figured would fit him best, and stepped into a dressing room.

After trying on the first set, and licking the way they fit, he exited, picked up three more pair, as well as a Slytherin insignia cloak and jacket, and made his way to the check out counter as Remus and Dontë still browsed.

"Say," Draco turned while one of Menkin's associates bagged his new robes. "Do I know you?"

"I doubt it." Sev's voice was rough. "I'm new around these parts."

"You look like someone I know…one of my Professors."

"Oh."

Draco eyed the emblem on the exposed cloak. "Transfuerring?"

"Err, yea." Sev nodded.

"Draco Malfoy." Draco held out his hand.

Harry offered neither his hand nor his name.

"Mm… Well, I'll see you around then?" Draco picked up his bag.

"Maybe."

"What was that about?" Dontë asked, sneering in the direction of Draco's retreating figure.

"Nothing." Sev shook his head.

"How do you think I'll look Slytherin robes?" Ron held up a hair. "Dashing?"

Sev raised an eyebrow, "You keep thinking that, I suppose. Plop 'em down, I'll get them for you."

"Sure." Ron set down three sets of robes and Harry gave the cashier a handful of galleons.

"You're one short." She pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." He gave her another without further comment, and took the receipt she handed him, and the bags.

"To the apothecary then?" Remus asked, after paying for his own new set of robes, which like his others looked a bit drab.

The boys nodded, and followed Remus down the busy street to the large, somewhat foul smelling, apothecary.

"You boys look around." Remus brushed them off, and the two went around picking up things they needed to replenish their own supplies with.

"What do you suppose you use these in?" Dontë asked, picking up a handful of some kind of teeth.

"I don't know, but don't touch them." Sev slapped at his hands.

A few minutes later, with ten minutes to spare, they entered Flourish and Blotts. Sev and Dontë headed straight for the Hygiene section, while Remus hung around the front waiting for Severus.

"What about this?" Dontë held up a book entitled _Hair: More Than a Cover for Your Head_.

"How about not?" Harry picked up a copy of _Every day Hygiene for Slick Wizards and Witches_. "This looks promising."

Dontë flipped through it, and shrugged. Harry held onto it while they continued to browse.

"We should run into Sleakzy's before we go." Dontë told Sev as they approached Remus and an annoyed looking Severus.

"Find what you were looking for?" Severus asked.

"Uh, yea." The two nodded.

"I need to get some food for Pig."

"And I should stop at Sleakzys."

"And I'm dying for some frozen custard, Severus." Remus broke in as well.

"Fine. You two, go get your own pellets and…whatever. Meet us at-."

"We know." The two nodded, and went to pay for the book.

Sleakzy's wasn't a large shop by any means, but the large array of products in one space was overwhelming.

"How's this?" Dontë held up a very large bottle of shampoo/conditioner for _Extremely Oily Hair_.

"I was thinking this." Severus held up a bottle for _Ridiculously Greasy Hair_.

"Or this!" Don picked up a bottle that read '_My Hair is SO Greasy it Repeals water!'_

"It's not that gross yet!" Sev defended himself.

They paid for the large bottle of shampoo, and an equally large bottle matching condition (in Apple scent!) and walked down to pick up owl pellets for Pig and Hedwig. When they finally approached the new Ice Cream Parlor, Mister Benny's Frozen Custard and Ice Cream, they saw Remus and Severus in a heavy discussion.

"Maybe we shouldn't bother them for a bit more?" Dontë motioned towards where they two men were sitting.

"Do you want something? I can order. I have some money left over." Sev counted a few sickles and a galleon out of his pocket.

The two hovered around the counter, and took their time ordering so that about five minutes later, they were ready to attempt approaching the table.

Severus and Remus seemed to have fallen out of their discussion, and had now silenced, Remus stabbing in spoon continuously into his custard bowl.

"About time." Severus was the first to notice the boy's return, and offered a snide comment. "I thought maybe you'd fallen into a bottomless pit –though I'd only be so lucky."

"Severus," Remus looked up at him. "Mayhap if you were a bit nicer to these poor boys they would hate you a little less." For some reason, Remus sounded uncharacteristically short tempered and annoyed.

Sev and Don sat down slowly with their sugar-cones and stared at the two feuding men.

"Is there a problem?" Sev asked.

"No, there isn't." Remus shoved his still have full bowl of custard towards the center of the table. "Are you two ready to go?"


	5. The Birthday

A/N: Wow, I'm on a roll! –One problem though, this isn't how I have these chapters "divided" in my notebook, so if they're difficult to understand or anything, just ignore the divisions…

Chapter Five.

At home that evening, Sev and Dontë could not help but notice that Sev and Remus took great care to stay out of one another's way. Severus had not moved from the living room with a copy of _Moste Potent Potions (V. III) _and Remus had not been seen since he had retired to his room for a rest.

Neither of the two men came out of hiding for dinner, but Molly ignored them, fixing the two plates and putting them into the oven to keep warm.

"Where are Remus and Severus?" Tonks asked, buttering her bread before putting a fork full of spaghetti on it.

"Resting is all." Molly offered no other information.

Later that evening, Sev descended the stairs quietly. He could hear voices in the kitchen, obviously Remus and Severus. Sev pushed the door open just enough to peek inside.

"Remus, why do you have to tell me how to run my life?" Severus sat on the counter.

"I'm not!" Remus was at the table. Both had empty plates in front of them.

"Yes, you are Remus. You have always done this to me. This is why I left you the first time."

"No, you left me the first-."

"Remus, don't! We know what happened."

"And now you have a son!"

" Wait, don't bring Potter into this."

"It's not Potter anymore, Severus. He's your son and as much as you hate to admit it, he is just like you."

"No, he's exactly like that stupid bastard-."

"That stupid bastard was one of my best friends for more years then I remember. He is like you, Sevvie. I have spent more time with you now then I ever spent with James. I would know."

"Would you stop?" Severus placed his plate into the sink.

"Stop what? You don't want to talk about them, fine. What about us, Severus? What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean what are we going to do?"

"You know what I mean."

"Stop… Look, I'm sorry, Remus, okay? Is that what you want from me?"

Sev watched the two from through the crack in the door as Severus and Remus stood next to the table, looking at one another.

"Sevvie, go to sleep." Remus spoke after a long silence.

"Come with me." Severus brushed a lock of Remus's hair out of his eyes.

"There are things I need-."

"No there's not. There's not any reason you can't come upstairs with me, right now."

"Well…" Remus took Severus's arms, clasping their hands together. "There is one good reason…"

"Oh?" Severus raised an eyebrow –their spat defiantly behind them now.

"The couch is so much closer." Remus leaned forward to catch Severus's lips, just as Sev let the door to the kitchen quietly close.

The next morning, Remus had obviously risen early (and had possibly not even slept, Sev mused), and had prepared a large breakfast. Severus slept, half nude on the couch, a reminder of the night before. It was the welcoming scent of bacon and freshly brewed coffee that finally roused the ruffled potion professor.

"Morning Severus." Remus could not hide the smirk that crossed his lips. Sev and Don averted their eyes as Severus approached Remus at the stove.

"Good morning." Severus wrapped an arm around the werewolves waist, and whispered something lascivious in his partner's ear, which caused Remus's eyes to widen and his face to go a shade of pink. He smacked Severus on the arm.

"Not in the kitchen, you harlot!" Remus nudged him away.

Sev looked cautiously up, just in time to see his father pinch Remus's ass and take a nibble of his ear. He quickly looked back down, some what ashamed of what he had witnessed. It seemed he was still 'coming to terms' with everything that he had learned –especially that both Remus and Severus were gay and that they were together. Beside him, Dontë shifted uncomfortably.

"Come upstairs for a minute." Severus coaxed.

"I'm cooking." Remus swatted him away.

"It won't take long." Severus assured him. "So, c'mon." He whispered something in Remus's ear, which caused him to gasp and kick Severus in the shin.

"I said, not in the kitchen –especially not in front of children!" Remus turned back toward the stove, placing two steaming piles of food in front of the two boys.

Severus seemed snort, and for the first time noticed Sev and Don sitting at the table, "Sorry… Didn't see you there."

Sev and Don did not reply and Hermione walked in a moment later, surprised at Severus's near nudity. She gasped and backed out of the door.

Everyone was surprised when Severus gave a slight chuckle as the door flipped back closed. "I suppose that's the sign it's time to go get dressed –children shield your eyes." He gave Remus a quick kiss. "You're off this time Lupin, but there will come a time when not even the most innocent of innocents are going to stop me."

"Go!" Remus pushed Severus towards the door. Severus laughed again, and strode from the room.

"So…" Dontë spoke first. "I take it you two aren't arguing anymore."

"We never were." Remus shrugged. "Friendly disagreement."

"Right, a friendly disagreement." Dontë nodded, accepting the answer.

"Look, we're not stupid." Sev sighed.

"I know you're not stupid, so when I tell you to drop it, you will."

Sev and Don admitted their defeat and Hermione entered the kitchen again, peeking inside to check the states of dress. She sat across from Don and Sev, clasping her hands together on the table.

"Does he do that often?"

"Walk around shirtless?" Sev asked, not taking into account that this was the first time that Hermione had spoke to them openly in weeks, and stabbing his fork into the eggs while Remus set a plate in front of Hermione. "Well…actually, he used to go around in a lot less after his attack. He couldn't wear shirts, so we went around in dragon hide pants and bandages."

"Oh."

"Don nudged Sev with his knee, "The beast speaks!"

"Oh shut up, Ron!" Hermione scoffed.

"Pardon me."

"You know, for sixteen years old, you're not very mature."

"Well la-di-frickin-da." Don wasn't impressed with Hermione's choice of words.

Severus entered the kitchen again, wearing muggle clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, something that looked very out of place on him since none of them had ever seen him in anything but wzarding robes, or Dragon hide pants.

"What's the occasion?" Remus asked, picking out the change as well.

"Can't tell you –children, remember the innocents and all?" Severus grinned and Sev suddenly wished for the OLD Professor Snape –this 'new and improved' version was starting to creep him out.

"Didn't stop you before."

"Year." Severus's voice dropped an octave or two. "But this example would use some vulgar language, and we have a lady in the room." He nodded towards Hermione.

"Oh, don't let me stop you." Hermione shook her head. "I'm sure I've heard worse.

Severus snorted, and turned towards Remus, "Fine then –I got fucked last night, and I do expect it again today –so I figure I'll be a bit more comfortable in something that's easy to get off." Hermione nearly choked on her sausage and Don began gulping down his orange juice. Only Sev seemed unmoved. Remus grinned.

"Oh? And what makes you so sure your partner doesn't have other plans?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Because we have the exact same job, that's why." Severus scoffed. "Christ, you are a fucking tease, Remus."

Remus grinned, and turned off the stove. "Everything is here if you're interested –save some for Tonks." He looped a finger into a belt loop on Severus's jeans, and pulled him out of the kitchen.

The kitchen was quiet until Hermione spoke, "Uh…How long have they been…together?"

"Since forever?" Sev said, matter-of-factly. "They got together when they were at school, and now they're together when they can be."

"Were they at odds in '93? I don't remember Professor Snape being in that good of a mood." Ron mused.

Sev shrugged.

"It doesn't bother you?" Hermione asked.

"No, they're both happy, aren't they? I mean, most of the time anyway. And lets face it, if sex has this big of a change on the man, this may as well be the best of my entire life." Sev set his plate in the sink and washed his hands.

Hermione dropped the inquisition and finished her own breakfast just as Tonks entered, nearly over turning the garbage can as she stumbled in.

"Okay, just so you know, you may not want to go upstairs…" She plucked a clean plate from the cupboard and loaded it with food.

"We know." Sev told her. "They were down here in the kitchen earlier."

"Oh my…do any of you need your memories modified?" Tonks offered.

"It wasn't quite that horrible… I think we'll be fine." Don shook his head.

"Oh, well, if you change your mind, my wand is at the ready." Tonks sat beside Hermione and began to shovel food into her mouth undauntedly. "So, Sev, your birthday is in two days. What are we doing to celebrate?"

Sev leaned against the counter, picking at one of Mrs. Weasley's muffins as he leaned against the counter. "I hadn't thought about it, actually."

"Well, I have to go into the Ministry today and was going to stop by Diagon Alley on my way back… Got your heart set on anything?" Tonks asked suggestively.

Sev grinned, "No. Just being away from the Dursleys is gift enough."

"Nonsense! There must be something you want –or at least need?"

"My broom polish is low."

"Broom polish? Broom polish?! I offer you the WORLD and you ask for BROOM POLISH?"

"I have everything else." Sev shrugged.

Tonks was still muttering under her breath about 'broom polish –how absurd!' when Remus entered the kitchen, looking disheveled, his robes quite mused and his hair spiked and ruffled. If you were examining him closely you could probably find him to be bruised.

"Having fun?" Tonks asked, glad to have something new to grumble about. "I hope you're both extremely pleased, you woke me out of a very fitful dream…"

"Dreaming about Kingsley again, eh?" Remus asked, pushing the facet over the sink, prepared to do the dishes.

"Oh please!" Tonks scoffed. "He's married!"

" That never stopped you before, Tonks." Remus smirked.

"Insufferable…" Tonks began, as Severus walked in, adding his own empty plate to Remus's filling sink. "Well! How kind of you to join us Professor! I think you need to have a chat with your son."

"Which one?" Severus asked, leaning against the counter between Sev and Remus.

"Sev…duh." Tonks sounded exasperated. "I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and do you know what he said?"

"Pornography?" Severus asked, unmoved.

"No."

"Well how the hell should I know, Tonks?" Severus asked.

"He asked for broom polish, Severus… BROOM POLISH."

"What's your point Nymphadora?"

Tonks chose to ignore the usage of her given name, "The point is that that boy needs some priorities. Imagine, asking for broom polish on your 16th birthday!"

"I asked for my first subscription to Dark Arts Weekly, where are you going with this?" Remus asked.

"Well at least you asked for something useful…sort of, but c'mon…broom polish?"

"Let it go, Tonks." Sev insisted.

"You must want something." Severus poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter again.

"No." Sev shook his head. "There isn't anything."

"Get him school supplies then. No harm, no foul." He raised his coffee to his lips and drank a gulp of it. Tonks scoffed at put her empty plate into Remus's sink of dishes.

"I'll find something…something good…"

"Good luck Tonks." Remus tossed casually over his shoulder at the metamorphagaus as she stomped from the room.

Sev sat back down at the table beside Don, across from Hermione.

"So," Remus finished with his sink of dishes with a bit of magically help. "What do you really want for your birthday?"

Two days passed quickly with many questions from the others about what he wanted for his birthday. Sev insisted he wanted nothing, but finally hinted to Remus after careful prodding that there had been a magnificent eagle feather quill he had liked, his apothecary was low, and his cauldron seemed to have sprung a leak last quarter.

Remus scoffed at the idea of school supplies but had since then left him alone.

On the evening on his birthday, a small card table had been set up in the living room. After a hearty meal of Harry's favorite foods, everyone in the house retired to the living room, scattering across the couches, chairs, and floor. Sev sat between Don and Hermione on the soft couch, and Remus handed him his first gift.

The little silver cauldron was set at his feet as a gift from both Severus and Remus, 'the finest money could buy', and he was given the next gift –the eagle feather quill, and Tonks was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Get on with it Remus!" He insisted.

"Do you have somewhere to be, Tonks?" Severus asked, placing two fingers against his temple, and leaning on the arm of his chair.

"No, I just want to know that I did very well in my choice."

Remus dug through the pile, and found the weighty package from Tonks.

Sev carefully slit the tape with a finger nail, and Tonks grumbled, not amused. Once the paper was off, he tore the tape off of the box filled with magazines.

"I got you a subscription to every Quidditch magazine in the country, including Seekers Digest which you need to have a bunch of qualifications for as it has as set number of copies printed each issue."

"Wow." Sev pulled the first one out of the box (_Quidditch News_) and flipped through it, looking at the moving pictures of Quidditch teams, and stunt diagrams. "Every single one?"

"Yep, and they're all under Sev Snape incase you were wondering."

Harry reached through the magazines, and pulled out a cylinder. Broom polish. "Thanks Tonks."

Don helped Sev carry his gifts up the staircase to their room.

"So, was it good?" Don asked. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"Yea, it was great." Sev shrugged.

"But?"

"I don't know. This stuff…it all seems so superficial and materialistic."

"But you like it."

"Of course."

"Then what's the problem?"

"There isn't a problem, Don."

"Go to sleep, Sev." Don yawned, flipping the light switch off.

Sev changed in the dark before falling into bed. He looked up at the bare ceiling, his eyes wide in consciousness. Across the room fro him, Don already snored away in Dreamland. If he listened closely he could wear he heard laugher and something unusually wolfish across the hall. Mrs. Weasley was shutting the door behind herself downstairs on her way home, with the twins, and Hermione and Tonks's doors both closed moments later.

In the silence of number 12 Grimmuald Place, Sev suddenly felt very save, very at ease. He remembered what Dumbledore had told him at the end of last term, but he couldn't help but feel as though he were suddenly at home.


	6. The Making of New Friends

1Chapter Six

The next morning, the first of August, three school owls fluttered into the kitchen window, dropping the familiar parchment envelops on the breakfast table. Sev picked up the envelope with his name on it and broke the seal.

Along with his typical list of supplies, there was a second letter, and a light brown wrapped package, a bit smaller then his fist.

_Dear Mr. Snape_

_As of last term, all of our Slytherin prefects were barred from their duties, which force the headmaster and I to replace them._

_As you have shown interest in the past, and previously proved of your qualifications for such a post, it is my humble duty to inform you that you, Severus Snape II, have been chosen as a sixth year prefect. _

_Congratulations, Mr. Snape, and I look forward to seeing you September 1st. _

_Deputy Headmistress_

_M. McGonagall._

_**Enclosed:**_

_**Prefect Badge**_

Sev gapped at the letter and opened the brown package, now quite weighted in his hand.

"Wos that?" Don asked between mouthfuls of food.

"I've been made Slytherin prefect."

There was a sudden call for celebration and Sev received dozens of congrats, kisses, and hugs. The excitement died down, and Sev looked down at the pin.

"Congrats." Ron told him. "I'm sure going to miss my pin. Only down fall to all this." He sighed. "Ah well, what can you do?"

Sev brushed his fingers over the green and silver pin. Sure, he would have felt less like a traitor had it been red and gold, but his years as a Gryffindor were over, and there was nothing he could do about it.

September 1st, a morning of confusion, and havoc at Order Headquarters. Severus, Sev, and Don left earlier then everyone else in a ministry car. Sev could not help but notice from where he sat in the front seat that the older man looked awkward in the drivers seat.

"So, are you going to give us some kind of…fatherly pep-talk?" Don asked.

"Am I supposed to?" Severus asked, carefully shifting gears.

"Well, my dad usually tells me not to muck up to badly, but since I'm not actually supposed to be his son right now, I missed it this year…"

"Well, don't make a fuck of anything, Dontë." Severus glanced at him quickly in the rearview mirror. "Because if you get up shit creek, I am not handing you your paddle."

"Thanks, Dad…" Don glanced around. "I said pep-talk, not threat."

"Sorry." Severus stuttered. "I bloody hate cars…"

"We're almost there." Sev reassured him.

"I wish Remus would have driven…" Severus cursed. "He bloody knows I hate this death trap."

"Just get us to Kings Cross, and then you can apperate to school." Don reminded him.

The rest of the car ride was quiet, and nothing was said between the three until after they had stored everything on the train and were waiting for the Weasley's, Remus, Tonks, and Moody to see them off.

Severus clapped a hand on each of their shoulders and the three bent their heads together.

"Alright, you know the rules and the rouse we're all under. Under no circumstances are you to tell anyone anything." The two boys nodded.

"I'll see you at dinner." Severus nervously bit his lip. "In case I haven't said it earlier, have a good term, and Don…I was serious about the fucking up. I may be playing father, but I will still expel you."

The two boys laughed, and stood up straight.

"Well, I'm going to go get a compartment." Don motioned behind him at the train. "I'll see you after your meeting, Sev."

"Bye." Sev waved him off, being left on the crowded platform as the first bell whistled. He turned to his father. "I better go too."

"Wait, just a second." Severus stopped him. "I have something for you, I though you might like." He pulled a red velvet covered book from his pocket. "This was your mothers and mine… We wrote notes and such back and forth… I thought you might…like to read it, maybe…help you deal with it all."

Sev gingerly took the book in his hands. Never had he held anything that might contain some answers to all of his unanswered questions. For the first time all summer, he realized that Severus Snape was his father, and he was really trying to make an effort to change.

"Thank you?" He said, flabbergasted at the gesture. "It means it a lot."

"Well, it's just a book. Don't make a big scene about it." Severus put his fingers to his lips and stared down at his toes. The second warning bell rang and the crowd began to flock towards the train.

"Thank you." Sev threw his arms around his father's neck before he could stop himself, and then quickly fled for the train.

When Sev met Don in their separate compartment he was quite surprised to see that Ron had struck up a conversation with Draco Malfoy.

"Oh, Hullo Sev." Don looked up at him. "I've made some new friends." He motioned at Draco, and his two cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

"Hello." Sev nodded at them, taking the seat beside Don.

"We've met…at Madam Menkins." Draco nodded. "How are you?"

"Fine."

"Your brother's been telling me you've been selected 6th year prefect for Slytherin. Congrats."

"Thanks." Sev nodded.

"Aren't you going to ask why Slytherin needed new prefects?" Draco inquired.

"No, my Dad told me about the trouble last year."

"It's a ruddy shame, you know?" Draco sighed. "Nearly killed my mother when she found out I got put on probation. How was I supposed to bloody know that Umbridge had gone crazy with power and all that? Bloody shame, all of it."

Sev and Don looked at one another, their eyebrows raised.

"Anyway, enough about me." Draco smiled a genuine smile and shook his head again, "Tell me about you... Where are you two from?"

Sev and Don looked at one another, and then Sev spoke up, "We lived with our Mother, until she died last spring, and went to Durmstrang. We just moved here to stay with our father. Since he teaches at Hogwarts, we transferred."

The boys conversed for the remainder of the trip, slightly disappointed when the whistle blew, and the screeching breaks signaled their approach of Hogsmead station. Don and Sev separated again, as Sev joined Hermione, who was sitting alone, in the Prefects carriage.

"Hi." He greeted her.

"Don't talk to me." She scoffed.

"No one is around." Sev crossed his arms over his chest. "How is everyone? Did they miss Don and I?"

"Everyone is fine. I told them that the two of you were on a Holiday in America." She opened a book from her backpack, and began reading.

He tried to ignore the other Prefect's stares as they boarded the carriage. It seemed to expand it's occupancy, and everyone fit comfortably inside. He was wedged between Hermione and Ginny (who had been accepted as a Gryffindor prefect in her fifth year). Ginny was flirting with him, which he found humorous, and he flirted back, pleased to have someone speaking to him. The others looked at him disdainfully, continuing on with their own conversations.

Once the carriage had pulled up in front of the castle, Ginny leaned in for only him to hear, "I hope I get to see a lot of you... Even if you are a Slytherin." She grinned at him, walked with Hermione, who was making 'tsk' noises at her, towards a group of their old friends. Sev caught back up with Don, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. The five made their way into the Great Hall, where they took seats at the Slytherin table, patiently waiting for the sorting to begin so that they could eat.

"I really wish they would hurry this up." Don sighed, "I'm starving."

"You just ate a bunch of food on the train." Sev reminded him.

"Those were snacks... I'm talking real food."

"Well you won't be disappointed." Draco told him. "Hogwarts has the best food I've ever tasted, and I've eaten in a lot of places." He turned to watch the row of first years walk into the Great Hall in a wave of amazement, "Oh, here come the lemmings now."

For the first time, ever, Harry was bored through out the sorting. The newest song was quite interesting, as usual, but with the addition of 8 students to each house, except Gryffindor, which got 10, the hungrier the boys became. Don and Sev had both been to nervous to eat that morning, and had only had a few snacks on the train. Both breathed a sigh of relief when Dumbledore made his opening speech very short, and with a wave of his wand, laden the tables with piles of steaming food. Greedily, Don began to slather food onto his plate.

"Don." Sev kicked him under the table.

"Oh." He set his fork down, picked up the bowl of potatoes, passing it to his left, "Sorry."

Sev rolled his eyes, and slapped his forehead.

That evening, the boys got comfortable in the Slytherin dormitory. Draco threw open one of the faux windows, leaning out of it, looking over the mystical moon-lit garden that had been created to give the room some atmosphere.

"If you were to jump out of that window, where would you go?" Don asked, leaning out of the window next to the one Draco was leaning out of.

"You'd fall into a pit, and then we'd have to get the ladder out." Draco warned him.

"Well then." Don leaned back inside, and closed the window, going over to where Sev had started to unpack some of his things, "Hey, what's this?" He picked up the leather bond book that Severus had giving to Sev before he got on the train.

"Just something, uh, Father gave to me before I got on the train. Thought I might enjoy a look into his sordid little past." He took the book from Don's hands, and shoved it underneath his pillow.

Draco was leaning back in the window, sitting on the sill, "I just realized something..." He put his fingers to his lips, "Potter and Weasley are missing."

"Excuse me?" Sev asked, his ears perking.

"Harry Potter and that Ronald Weasley." Draco leaned back, letting the imitation breeze ruffle through his hair, "They weren't at dinner. I looked for them."

"Whatever for?" Sev asked.

"Oh...personal reasons." Draco stood up, a smirk on his mouth, closing the window and latching it, "Very...personal reasons."

Don and Sev raised an eyebrow at one another, and then turned to watch Draco as he riffled through his trunk, pulling out a pair of specially tailored silk pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt out of his trunk.

"What do you mean personal?" Sev asked, crossing his arms, and watching Draco change out of his robes into his pajamas.

"Personal, as in for me to know."

"C'mon, tell us." Don coaxed, "What's your thing with Harry and _Ronald_."

"It's nothing." Draco said, turning away from them, and turning down the lights, and climbing under the covers of his bed, "I've just...I've kind of fancied them for awhile, I guess."

"Fancied them? As in..." Don raised an eyebrow and made an implying movement.

"Oh Merlin...go to bed... you have your first day of classes tomorrow." Draco turned the lights down all of the way, and wiped the curtains around his bed closed, end of conversation.

Don and Sev looked at each other, and collapsed laughing on one another. Imagine that, if only Draco knew what he had just confessed, and to who.

"Shut up!" Draco picked up one of his pillows and flung it at them with astounding accuracy through the curtains.

"We're sorry." Sev choked back his laughing fit, "But it's just so funny."

"Think about it...Draco Malfoy, first of all a Slytherin, second of all, nemesis Potter and Weasley, just to find out he fancies them. Oh, do tell us more, Draco, please." Don pulled the curtains back, sitting on the edge of the bed, "How long, seriously?"

Draco glared at them, "Go to sleep."

"C'mon...You've already told us the worst part..." Don urged him on.

"Third year." Draco turned over onto his side, away from where the two other boys were perched on his bed.

"Third year? That's an awfully long time to be harboring a crush." Sev commented, crawling across the bed, sitting on Draco's other side.

"Then it's obviously not just a crush, is it?" Draco asked, sitting up. "It's like an obsession. It's probably a good thing that they aren't here. It would probably just make it worse."

"Oh, but absence makes the heart grow fonder." Don reminded him.

"Oh, go away." Draco shoved him on the shoulder, kicking the two of them out of his bed, "I'm serious, go to bed."

"Oh, no hard feelings, Draco." Don patted his shoulder. "We only mean the best."

"Oh yea, the best of everything."

"Well you two know my big secret...now I want to know one of yours." Draco raised an eyebrow, "Who do you two fancy?" He raised an eyebrow.

The two boys looked at one another, embaressed.

"I don't know about him, but I don't fancy anyone at the moment." Sev moved to pull back the covers on his bed, before changing into a pair of pajamas.

"There was a Gryffindor girl I met earlier... She seemed rather nice." Don did the same.

"Oh come on, now." The three of them all turned as Vincent and Gregory stumbled in the door, falling on one another. "Could you two make any more noise?"

"Sorry about that." Gregory's voice was gruff and grunty sounding, "We'll just be going to bed, then."

The three watched the two pushing past one another towards their separate beds, ducking behind their curtains.

"They're fucking, you'll have to excuse them -they haven't come clean with the idea yet." Draco whispered.

"Shut up, Draco." Vincent bellowed from his bed.

"See?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "At least I've accepted the fact that I am sinful in my ways..."

"What do you mean?" Sev asked, slipping under his covers, and leaning on his elbow.

Draco glanced around, Don tugged his curtains back with a chuckle, and Gregory and Vincent were tucked up in bed as well. He moved, sitting on the edge of Sev's bed, across the room.

"I mean, I don't care what other people think of me, and my lifestyle...understand? Or shall I give you an example?"

"What would the example consist of?" Sev raised an eyebrow.

Draco cupped Sev's face between his palms, and kissed him. Sev froze in surprise, his eyes widening, staring into Draco's. He laughed, pulling away, "Live a little, Sev. Goodnight."

"G'night." Sev whispered back, reaching over to pull his curtains closed, slowly.


	7. The Art of Private Speaking

1Chapter Seven

"What are you looking so smug about?" Don asked, as he and Sev stood in the bathroom, towels tied around their waists. Sev was scrubbing the nights accumulation of oils out of his hair with his Sleakzy's concoction.

"I'm not looking smug about anything." Sev looked at him through the suds, "If anything, I'm a befuddled by my newest problem."

"What happened?" Don asked, leaning against the sink.

"Draco kissed me, last night."

"What? Where was I?" Don asked, his head whipping around.

"It was right after you closed your curtains." Sev told him, rinsing his hair out in the sink, scrubbing the suds out, leaving his hair looking half-way normal.

"So, what was it like?" Don asked, crossing his arms, "Exhilarating?"

"Hardly. It was a kiss, that's all."

"Really?" Don raised an eyebrow, "I've seen some odd things, 'specially over the last summer...but that would have topped all."

"Oh, leave it alone." Sev picked up another towel from the next sink over, and began to furiously rub it over his damp hair, drying it.

Classes started with a dull roar -most happy to be back in classes, others bemoaning for vacation to rewind, not ready to be cooped up in class again. Severus had mixed feelings about the giant array of classes he had not only with Draco, but with the Gryffindors, who looked at him with scorning looks. It especially hurt to see people he had once considered friends snub him, like it was his fault that he had to live in this disguise.

The only comfort he found was in the notebook that his father had given him before he boarded the train. He was sitting on his bed, his curtains open towards the windows, which were open to allow in the gentle breeze. He looked up when he heard the door swing open, and the clomping of several booted feet entered the room.

"So, it's been nearly two weeks, and no Potter." Draco's voice filtered through the air.

"Maybe Dumbledore locked him up someplace for his own good?" That was Gregory's voice.

"No...Potter is to galant for that. He'd be all brave, and noble... Stupid git."

"Oh, you like him, and you know it." Vincent pointed out.

"That's not the point." Draco scoffed, "The point is that neither he, nor Weasley, are here."

"What about Sev and Don? They're pretty cute."

"Oh yea, like I'm going to be stupid enough to sleep with the sons of the Head-of-House."

"Why? He might appreciate it."

"You are so daft, it isn't even funny." Draco sighed.

Sev looked up from the closed journal.

"It isn't like he'll ever know." Gregory scoffed, "They don't seem to be Daddy's Little Boys, if you know what I mean."

Draco was quiet for a few moments, contemplating, "Sev is kind of cute...He looks like the Professor."

The door opened, interrupting them, and Don entered the room.

"Oh, hello chums." He greeted them.

"Hello Don -hey, maybe you can help us with a little disagreement... What can you tell us about your brother?"

"Err...well, it depends on what you want to know, I guess." Don sounded confused.

"Has he had any girlfriends?"

"I don't think so." Don stuttered, "Why don't you ask him yourself, he's in his bed."

The room grew quiet, and Draco slowly pulled the curtain open.

"Bugger." He cursed, "Well, I guess that cat is out of the bag, now."

Sev smirked. He couldn't help it. First the kiss on that first night, then over hearing the conversation, and now the total look of embarrassment that crossed Draco's face. It was pure magic.

Draco dropped the curtain, "I have some studying to do, excuse me."

Sev and Don watched the other three boys walk straight-backed from the room.

"What was that all about?" Don asked.

"Well, I may have the wrong end of the stick here, but I think that Draco fancies me."

"No..."

"Yes."

"On you, or _you_?"

"Both."

"...I never would have thought...Draco Malfoy a full fledged Fairy...Wow."

"Oh, don't talk like that." Sev sighed.

"I don't mean it like that, derogatory or anything.

"I wonder how long they would have gone on, if you hadn't come in."

"A question that will probably never be answered, my friend." Sev smiled. "He'll always check closed curtains from now on though."

That evening, Sev started reading the notebook over.

_September 2nd_

_So, what do you think of Professor Jalan? -LE_

_I think he is a genius. -SS_

_Figures...so, what is Slytherin house like, eh? -L_

_Slytherin house is also perfection, now please leave me alone, Lily._

_Oh, Sevvie. You're such a dreadful tease._

_Oh please._

_Gryffindor house is absolutely fabulous, everything all red and gold._

_Red is a pompous color._

_Grump._

_Leave Me Be. -SS_

_Then stop replying. -L_

_Why don't you write notes to your little boyfriend instead, eh? _

_If you are referring to James Potter, I'll have you know that he is NOT my boyfriend._

_Is so._

Most of the notes seemed to prattle on, just the two of them, taking playful jabs at one another. Sometimes however, different emotions were displayed out in the penmanship, and one of them got serious, usually Severus.

Sev's favorite letter of the whole notebook, spreading across the whole 7 years, was the final one written in his father's handwriting, calmly explaining the facts of his life to Lily. He didn't really like his Mother's reply, but that didn't stop him from enjoying it.

_June 12_

_Lily,_

_Together, we have spent the last seven years taking pokes at one another. We've expressed happiness, sadness, anger, and extreme joy, but there are still things you don't know about me. Because you are my friend, and I know that you'll keep these secrets further from your little beau, I'm going to tell you about myself. This is the last time I am going to write to you, so read carefully._

_I was born to a wealthy family, which you know. My mother died when I was 9 years old, and just last year, my father banned me from the family estate, just before his own untimely death. When I came to Hogwarts, you were the first person in a very long time who didn't look at me with scorn. I appreciate that. I must end my friendship with you now however, because I found someone else with whom I can connect with better then I ever could with you. There for, I find myself telling you my biggest secret, one I have held buried within myself for these many odd years, not sure of your reaction. We graduate tomorrow, so I have no qualms telling you this._

_I like men. I am gay. I've been sleeping with someone, a boyfriend if you will, for quite some time now. If I ever lead you on, I am sorry. I didn't mean to do so. As long as we're devulding secrets, I'll tell you another one as well._

_I do not ever want to hear from you again. Good luck in all that you do, Lily.Severus_

Lily's reaction to the letter was simply, "_Stop being such a git, Sevvie, and meet me in the Astronomy tower at midnight_", dated for the same day.

The door of the dormitory swung open, and Draco, alone, allowed himself inside. Sev closed the notebook, shoving it underneath his pillow, and pulled his Divination homework into his lap.

"Hello." Draco crooned at him.

"Hello, Draco." Sev replied, his eyes trailing over the page, "What's the word?"

"Oh, nothing really. I'm just looking for Crabbe and Goyle. Have you seen them?"

"Did you check the Great Hall?"

"Alright, so I'm not looking for them!" Draco sighed. "Look, what you heard the other day...It wasn't meant the way it sounded."

"Oh, really?" Sev raised an eyebrow.

"Ok..so maybe it was, so what?"

"I'm not criticizing you, Draco. So you have a crush on Harry Potter, I already knew that."

"You're not offended by what I said about you?"

"You've already kissed me, Draco. I think I'm well over the shock."

"Are you...No, I get what this is. You're just teasing me because you know I'm all mopey and hormonal, aren't you?"

"What gives you that idea?" Sev asked, "And you aren't hormonal, you're horny. Get over it."

"You never cease to amaze me."

"Well, that-" Sev had been about to comment on his 'boy who lived' nickname, but caught himself, "that's why I'm here, Draco -to amaze."

"So you aren't...freaked out or anything?"

"No, of course not."

"Good...good, just so we're clear on that." Draco took on the edge of Sev's bed.

"Right."

The two boys sat in quiet for a moment, and then Draco opened his mouth again, "So you're...you know."

"No, no, I'm not."

"Oh...Silly me. Well, I had best be off."

"Bye then." Sev waved him way, watching Draco stumble from the room.

Don entered shortly afterwards, "What's the matter with Draco?"

"Nothing -we just had a little chat is all."

"A little chat, or a little something else?" Don raised an eyebrow.

"Please! Don't even think such a thing!"

"Oh, why not? It's quite funny."

"No, it isn't."

"Why? Do you like him?"

"...Perhaps."

Don pounced onto the bed, "Really? Oh, you have to tell him!"

"No!"

"C'mon!" Don grabbed his shoulders.

"Stop it!" Sev brushed his hands away, "Let go of me, you cad. I have an Occlumency lesson."

"Liar."

"Why would I lie about that?" Sev brushed him aside, shoving his things into his trunk, and picking up his wand, "Occlumency is very important. You might do well to pick up a bit of it, yourself."

"Don't make me laugh." Don scoffed.

"I have to go. I'll see you later."

It was only after the short Occlumency lesson while Sev was watching his father steadily adding the perfect ingredients to the potion for Remus, that Sev even concidered bring up his predicament with Draco.

"What would you say if I told you that I knew someone, who liked me?"

"Bully for you." Severus eyed his vial before pouring it into the cauldron, "Whose the lucky lady?"

"Well...see, it's not exactly a lady."

Severus looked up from the cauldron, "A boy? Who?"

"...I'm not so sure I want to tell you, now."

"Look, I wouldn't want to stop you from anything you may want to do, but I also don't want you to have my curse either. I have very little authority over you, Sev. I obviously haven't been the greatest father in the world, and I don't expect you to just accept me as yours."

"I never said I liked him back."

Severus's eyes met his.

"Okay, maybe I sort of do."

"So, who is it?"

"DracoMalfoy-Oh wow, look at the time! I better be going. Big day of classes tomorrow!" Sev moved to gather his wand and a few books.

"Hold on! Draco Malfoy! You've got to be kidding me!"

"No...no, I really wish I was."

"Well, Sev...I'm not in any position to tell you what to do...but...whatever makes you happy, I suppose."

Sev was quiet for a second, before nodding, "It would...make me happy I mean."

"Good." Severus looked up at the clock, "You'd better be getting back to your dormitory. It's getting late."

The sun streamed through the boys dormitory window, awaking Harry on Sunday morning. There were already sounds of the other boys pottering around the room.

"Wake up, Sleepy head." Don poked at him, "It's nearly lunch."

"Get off." Sev mumbled, trying to ignore him.

"Wake up!" Don jabbed him in the shoulder.

"Ouch!"

"Well then, stop being such a ninny, and get out of bed." Don sighed, "No one's around...c'mon."

"What's the rush?" Sev asked, sleepily.

"Draco! I heard him talking this morning about some poor Ravenclaw. You have to tell him!"

"Tell him what?"

"That you like him too!"

"You sound like such a school girl."

"C'mon Sev! You're sixteen years old! Live a little bit. For me?"

"If you like him so much, you go save the little Ravenclaw."

"I can't do that...not the way we're talking anyway. And besides, Draco doesn't like me, he likes you."

"Can it wait?" Sev asked, looking back longingly at his pillow.

"No! Get dressed, and make your move at lunch."

"You know...I'm a prefect. People look up to me...I can't be galavanting off with Draco!"

"Did I hear my name?" Draco's voice rang as the door opened, "It's about time you were out of bed, it's nearly lunch."

"So my brother has been telling me." Sev motioned to Don. "He was also telling me that you've been gloating."

Draco played coy, "Me? Gloating? Whatever about, Severus?"

"According to Don, you've been seducing a Ravenclaw."

"A third year Ravenclaw." Don added, seeing where Sev was going with the conversation, "And a member of the Quidditch team."

"Is that true, Draco?"

Draco rubbed at the growth of blonde hair on his chin, "Maybe...What's it to you, Sev?"

Sev stood from his bed, glad he had on his decent pajamas, and crossed his arms, "As a prefect, it is my duty to tell you, no _warn_ you, that this promiscuous behavior isn't tolerated at Hogwarts, least of all between sixth years who know better, and 3rd years who have enough on their shoulders this far into term to deal with."

"Have you quite finished yet, Mother?" Draco yawned, boredly.

"No -further, I am having a chat with my father, about your behavior, and if I hear anymore of this. If you're going to act like a slut, at least keep it to your own year and house."

With that, Sev promptly began to look for a fresh robe to throw on for lunch.

Draco looked flabbergasted, "You really wouldn't tell the Professor on me, would you?"

"Yes, I would. And I'm sure he might take a pleasure in calling your father personally. Since Harry Potter's departure, he hasn't had the joy of looking into expelling anyone as of late, and I'm sure he's simply dying to find a likely candidate."

"Expel?"

"Yes, which I'm sure, since you were a prefect last year, would know he has all the right do to as you are, 'endangering the health and education of a fellow student'."

"Oh, do explain!" Draco huffed.

"By leading a Ravenclaw on you are endangering their health simply by doing things you so obviously are in need of, and their education by the pure fact that I figure the poor cad is foolish enough to sleep with you, and thus is going to constantly be thinking about you and the next go at it."

"And that's the best you can come up with?"

"Are you contradicting me, Draco?"

"No, no of course not, Perfect Prefect, Severus. I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good...now be off on your business." Sev nodded curtly at him.

Draco gapped at him, but turned on his feel and darted from the room.

"I'm not sure if that's the way to get someone to sleep with you Sev, but good show old chap, pulling the Prefect card like that."

"Well, it was true, and besides... I think Draco's ego needed a bit of deflating."

"And you were just the person to stick the pin in, weren't you?"

"I am the prefect around here, so yes. I guess I was." Sev nodded. "Now, get out so I can get dressed in peace. Jeez, you'd think we were running a strip show in here."

The Great Hall seemed sort of empty as Sev and Don entered together, both sliding glances at the Gryffindor table, longingly for only a moment. Then the two slid into the spots across from Draco.

"Are you still sore?" Sev asked.

"Yes, and mind you, it isn't the good kind." Draco retorted.

It took Sev and Don a moment to get the joke, but it took Crabbe and Goyle even longer, who laughed jovially anyway.

"I can't believe you." Draco spoke in a hushed tone, "You can't just order me around!"

"Actually, I can." Sev pointed out. "We've already discussed this."

Draco looked at him, "May we have a private word?"

"Sure." Sev nodded.

"…Key word there, Snape, was 'private'."

Sev nodded again, "Can your word wait until after lunch?"

Draco nodded, "I suppose."

The group ate quietly for a few minutes, before Draco pushed his plate away, "Are you done yet?"

Severus rolled his eyes, "I suppose. Shall we go to the common room?"

"No, I know just the place." Draco stood up from the table, and lead Sev from the room and towards the dungeons.

"…Where are we going?" Sev asked after they had passed most of the main dungeon rooms, and were delving deeper and deeper under ground.

"Don't worry, it's not much further."

"Is there a reason we have to go this far away from people? What could you possibly have to say to me that is _this _private, Draco?"

"Just relax, okay?" Draco sighed. "Stop acting like a little girl, Sev." He pushed open the door on one of the last dungeon rooms in the corridor, and pulled Sev inside too, closing the door behind them, "Alright, Sev…what do I have to do so that you won't tell your Dad about my little…rendezvous?"

Sev crossed his arms, "What are you willing to offer up." His eyebrow raised, and he leaned against the edge of one of the counter tops of the now unused potions class room.

Draco bit his tongue, putting a hand on either side of Sev, his palms pressing heavily against the scarred wood top, "What do you want?" He moved closer, their hips pressing together.

Sev tilted his head to the side, "Are you…coming on to me?"

"Maybe." Draco's hands slid across the table to Sev's back, letting one rest there, and the other coming to stroke up his chest. "I mean, if you want me too…"

Sev didn't move, partly because he didn't want the touching to stop, but also because he was worried that Draco would get the wrong impression if he did move, "And if I don't?"

"…You might just get it anyway." Draco tilted his head up, and kissed him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Sev bit his tongue, choosing his words carefully, "I shouldn't let you think that kissing me is going to make me any less of an authority figure, Draco."

"I don't think that at all. …C'mon, Sev. Just this once can't we let this go? I can make it well worth your while."

"Oh? Can you? Worthwhile enough that…should, by chance someone happen to find out I didn't report it, and lost my position as Prefect, I could just…get over it?"

"I would think so." Draco pushed Sev's hair behind his shoulder, "Your hair looks nice… What do you use?"

"A Sleakzy concoction –that wasn't part of what I asked you about, Draco." Sev turned his face into Draco's hair as his lips grazed his collar bone, his hands moving under Sev's robes, and tugging his shirt out from his pants, "What are you doing?"

"Doing just what I said I was…and you haven't stopped me, so…" Draco kissed him square on the lips again, "I suppose I am taking advantage of your good nature, Sev." His finger tips ran under the hem of his shirt. "Does that bother you?"

Sev turned his face towards the ceiling, looking for an answer, before moving his hands to take Draco's wrists, pulling them from underneath his shirt, and pushing Draco onto the table, switching their positions, he looked down between them, tugging Draco's shirt from his trousers, "…Answer me this…and I'll decide."

"Anything." Draco nodded, taking a deep breath as the cool air of the room hit his stomach as Sev pushed his shirt up to stroke his fingers across his chest.

"How many of your little conquests have you brought down here? Just a ballpark, if it's a really big number."

"A…ballpark?"

"A guess."

"Oh. None, I swear. This would be…just ours." Draco assured him.

"Oh." Sev nodded, and moved away. "Good." He looked up, and pressed a kiss to Draco's lips. "I have things I need to get done. I'll see you later." And gave him a short smile before walking out of the dungeon.


	8. The Elaboration of a Story

Note: The "did you make the kisses" is blatantly stolen from all the people at the Questionable Content webcomic fourms (if you don't read webcomics, and like indie humor, I strongly suggest and many others –just ask!). –except it's usually more like, "OMG! FAYE AND MARTEN GONNA MAKE THE KISSES!!!!1111!!!!11!!" and all that. –Also, thanks for the nice reviews! I'm uber-thrilled. I'll try to pull these out as fast as I can…but to honest, I'm not really sure where I want to take this… Now that book 6 is actually out (to show you how long this has been on a back-burner…) I kind of want to entwine some of that story back here, but I'm not sure how that's going to work. I'm no good at writing suspenseful stuff –I'm more of a smut girl… Also, there is a Remrus fic pertaining to this story in my prof. (First Christmas). Read it, it's good! –And I'm not sure how much H/D I want to go into…hrm… We shall see.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Eight

"What happened?" Don prodded Sev in the side as he sat down in the Slytherin common room a few minutes later. "Did you make the kisses?"

"Excuse me?" Sev raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on! I've got to live vicariously through you, you know! Even if it is a bit…not what I'm into and all that jazz." Don shrugged. "Fess it up! You did, didn't you?"

"Shut up." Sev turned scarlet, and picked up his books. "I'm going to study in the library."

"I'll go with –I've got to find a book for my bloody potions essay… I know he's our Dad and all that, but does he have to make everything so difficult?"

Sev shrugged, "We don't have to like him, Don. We just have to tolerate him."

Don sighed, following him out of the room, "I guess I feel bad…knowing what I do. I just can't bring myself to hate him anymore."

"Try. It's not that hard."

"You still hate him? Even though…"

Sev shrugged, "I don't know how I feel anymore. It's all really confusing right now."

Don nodded, "So, what did Draco want?"

"He wanted to make me an offer I couldn't refuse."

"…Did you?"

"…Not exactly. He doesn't know when he'll be paying up on it." Sev smiled softly as they turned into the library. They went quietly to a table towards the back, spreading out their books and parchment across the tables.

They had just begun working when they were surprised by another body sliding into a chair beside them.

"Hi!" Ginny smiled at Sev, "I was hoping to see you again, Sev."

"Err…Ginny." Sev smiled back. "Hi. What's…err…going on?"

"Just doing some home work before my quidditch practice… Say, do you play quidditch?"

"Oh, uh, I do, but…Slytherin already has a top-notch Seeker." Sev shrugged.

"Oh." She shrugged. "That's a shame. I would have enjoyed sharing a field with you." She grinned.

Don cleared his throat, and Ginny giggled turning to look at him, "Oh, hi! What's your name?"

"Donte…but you can just call me Don."

"Oh. Hi." She shook his hand. "I suppose you're Sev's brother, right? I can see the Professor in both of you. It's uncanny. …Do you have different mothers? –Oh, I'm sorry, was that to personal?"

"Err, our Mums were sisters. She and Dad wanted…twins, but when I wasn't, they…err…and Sev's real-mum offered…so…Sev's adopted by my Mum, but Severus is both our Dads." Don muddled through an incoherent lie.

Sev wrinkled his nose at him, and mouthed over Ginny's shoulder, "What?!" When Ginny turned back, Don shrugged, as if to say, 'I have no idea!"

"That is so interesting… So you guys are like, the same age?"

"Don is a little bit older, but not by much."

"Just a couple of months is all."

"Oh."

"So…uh, what about your family?"

"Oh, I'm the youngest. I've got six brothers."

"Wow!"

"Yep. Charlie, Bill, and Percy are all out of school, along with Fred and George who just opened their own joke shop. My brother Ron is…er… Off on holiday with a friend."

"Oh." They both nodded.

"But I don't believe it." Ginny leaned on her elbow. "That's just what I've heard. Even my Mum tried to tell me that, but I don't think that Harry and Ron would run away like that. I think they're somewhere here at Hogwarts…" She glanced around the library before leaning in close to the center of the table. Don and Sev leaned in too to hear her whisper, "Don't tell anyone, but…I've been wandering around the halls at night, and I think I've narrowed down the places they could be hiding."

"Oh?"

"It's got to be either somewhere down in the dungeons, or…I think there is a secret tower behind one of the paintings on the Great Stairs."

The two boys raised eyebrows at each other.

"I don't get why Professor Dumbledore didn't think he could trust me enough to tell me where they went…I mean, Ron is my brother goodness sake. I think Hermione knows where they are –you've both met Hermione, right?"

"We've been introduced." Sev nodded.

"Well, she spent part of her summer with them…I think she knows exactly where they are and what they're doing. It would just figure that Ron would have to tag along with Harry. Don't tell him I said this, but…I think he follows Harry around so he can share all of the glory."

"That's not true!" Don scoffed, and then realized what he had said, "I mean…I don't think that sounds very logical. Maybe your brother is just trying to be a really good friend?"

Ginny scoffed, "You don't know my brother." She looked over her shoulder when she heard a stifled clearing of throat, "Oh…err, Hi Hermione."

"What are you doing, Ginny?" Hermione snapped.

"I was just talking to Sev and Don. They looked kind of lonely over here –so I came to say hello."

"Well don't. I'm sure they were very busy working. Come on." Hermione tugged on her shoulder. "Lets go back to our side of the library."

"Maybe I don't want to…" Ginny pulled back. "You know, ever since Harry and Ron went on that little holiday, you've been acting like a real prat, Hermione!"

"Don't start, Ginny. Come on." Hermione grabbed her wrist this time, pulling her from her chair and towards the other side of the library. She turned slightly to add to the boys, "Don't come near us again, alright? Just leave us alone."

"Hermione, what is your problem?" Ginny hissed. "They're very nice if you'd just give them a chance for once rather then just writing them off!"

Sev and Don turned towards each other. Sev's jaw twitched, and he bit his tongue to keep from getting up to go after them.

"…Well, this was a lovely afternoon." Don picked up his quill again to start working on his potions essay.

"Can I talk to you" The dormitory was empty except for Draco and Sev, early that night after dinner. "Privately please?"

"Is this going to be as private as the last conversation? Perhaps you'd like me to get undressed right away so we don't have to muddle with so much fabric this time? I never realized how cumbersome uniforms can be." Sev closed his text book, looking up at Draco, tilting his head slightly to one side. "What is it?"

Draco clasped his hands, "You can tell the Professor if you want. I mean, you should…report me. I was bad, and I deserve whatever punishment I have coming to me."

"You're right." Sev nodded, "You do." He set his book on top of his shelf, and sat up straighter on his bed, "Come here…"

Draco stepped closer to the bed, his hands still folded tightly in front of him.

"Don't be so tense…I'm not going to hurt you." Sev touched Draco's hands, pulling him close enough to kneel on the edge of the bed. "I've already decided what your punishment should be."

"Oh?" Draco asked, making a small squeaking sound as Sev pulled him onto the bed beside him, and drawing the curtains around them. Sev brushed his hair back off of his forehead, and pressed a kiss to his lips, letting his fingers trail through Draco's blonde hair, "…This isn't really punishment, you know."

"I won't tell my Father… But you have make me a couple of promises."

Draco nodded, "What are they?"

"You have to promise first."

He raised an eyebrow before nodding, "Alright. I promise to…whatever it is you have planned for me."

"First of all, you can't get into any more trouble like that. I can turn my head once, but…twice? I don't think so."

"Never again."

"Secondly, you can't do this with anyone else."

"What do you mean by 'this'?"

"Kissing…sex…whatever it is that we end up doing."

Draco squinted, "For how long?"

"Until I tell you it's alright."

"Until you tire of me, basically."

"Hmm…don't look at I so glumly, Draco."

"Alright, Sev –are there any other oaths to this promise?"

"I want you to sleep with me –just sleep. Whenever I want you to."

Draco nodded, "Alright…is that all."

"I also hold the right to amend these promises whenever I see fit."

Draco smiled, "Alright… Shall we seal our deal?"

Sev nodded, "Okay." He was surprised when Draco raked his fingers through his hair, pushing him onto his back, and kissing him. His hand went to the button and zipper of Sev's trousers, undoing them quickly to push his hand underneath the fabric. Sev gasped again Draco's mouth as his fingers took a hold of him.

"You like that? I'm not surprised… You're a virgin, aren't you?" He pressed his forehead against Sev's to stare into his eyes for a moment, "I'm not surprised about that either, actually."

"Are you…disappointed?"

Draco grinned, "No, what would make you think that? It just makes you all the more alluring."

"Really?"

"Really." Draco nodded, and kissed him again, taking hairs hand with his free one, directing it towards his pants. "C'mon…we've got to seal this deal, right?"

"…Right."

"…You look funny." Don tilted his head looking quizzically at Sev as they got ready for bed later that night. "…Somethin' happen?"

"No." Sev shook his head. "What would have happened?"

Don narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Sev's every move.

"Would you stop staring at me like that? It's weird."

"So…I saw Draco come up here earlier… You two have another go?"

"Don!"

"Hey, you don't blame me asking. I mean, you've been flirting since our first night here."

Sev sighed, sitting close to Don on his bed, "We…err…did some stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Like…stuff. You know…'it' stuff."

"What?" Don's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"I don't know what's going on…I mean, one minute he says he wants to talk to me, the next minute we're on my bed, and he's got his hands down my trousers."

"_What_?"

"Yeah!"

"Woz that like?"

"Oh come on, Don! I know you're not… Stop teasing me."

"No, really! It's it like to have another bloke's hand under your pants?"

Sev narrowed his eyes, "…Anyway, I uh…told him that, if he didn't want me to tell Dad about…his thing with the Ravenclaw, that he would have to…err…make me a couple of promises."

"Oh? Like what?"

Sev glanced around before leaning in close, "Well, first I made him promise that he wouldn't try pullin' something like that again…then that he wouldn't…you know, do stuff with any other guys…"

"Oh? What did he say?"

"He said it was fine –he could do that… and then…I uh, I said he to…err…sleep with me… Sleep, not shag!"

"…Naked?"

"No!"

"Oh…I would have told him naked."

"Don!"

"What? Don't look at me like that!" Don shook his head. "So…are you two…tonight?"

"I don't know. …I might."

Don punched him the shoulder, "Who would have though, Sev! You and Draco… This summer must have had a very interesting effect on you."

"Yea, uh…well, I guess we have our Father to thank for that, huh?"

"It must run in the family." Don shrugged. "You have fun tonight… I'm going to sleep so I don't keep you two apart any longer then you need to be." He winked.

"Don't be crude!"

"Whose being crude?" Draco exited the bathroom, drying his hair with one towel, another wrapped around his waist. "Something sexy?"

"No." Sev crossed his arms, closing Don's bed curtains on him, before moving around to the other side of his own bed.

Draco tossed his hair-drying towel onto a peg beside his bed, before making a glance around his room, pulling the curtains shut on his bed, and then making his way over to Sev's bed where he had already pulled the curtain between his bed and Don's closed.

"I hope you don't mind, Sev…" Draco slid into bed beside him, and pulling the covers over the both of them before pulling off the towel, and letting it drop the floor, in time to whisper in his ear, "I like to sleep naked when possible… I don't like rough things against my skin."

"Are you crazy? What if there was a fire or something?"

Draco grinned. "I'd be first to get rescued!"

Sev raised an eyebrow, and drew the other curtain shut around them to give them a little more privacy, "Well, err…I sleep clothed, thanks."

"Have you ever slept nude before?"

"Err…no, not completely."

"You should try." Draco started to unbutton his nightshirt, tracing his fingers down Sev's chest. "It's nice…and I think you would feel really good pressed up against me while we slept."

Sev nodded, "Okay." He shrugged out of the shirt, tossing it under the curtain to the side of the bed, and did the same with his shorts.

"There you go." Draco fluffed his pillow before shrugging down underneath the covers, "C'mon, move closer."

Sev wriggled down between the sheets, slipping hand down around Draco's bare hips, to pull him closer pressing their lower bodies at least together.

Draco smiled, "That's better."

"Did you sleep well?" Don attempted to bite back his grin, but couldn't help himself as Sev slid into the seat next to him at breakfast the next morning,

"Shut up."

"Did you leave him there, or did you take a head start so no one would suspect anything?"

"Shut _up_, Don."

"I saw your clothes on the floor this morning—ow!" Don's hand went to his head where Sev had hit him. "What was that for? I'm just teasing you! Don't get your knickers in a twist!"

"Then shut up." Sev leaned in close. "I'm a prefect, Don! What was I thinking getting into this kind of mess with Draco?"

Don raised an eyebrow, "Sev, we're sixteen years old. I think it is perfectly acceptable."

"…You say as a sixteen year old boy! What bout the Professors?"

Don rolled his eyes, "What they don't know won't hurt them."

Sev leaned on his hand, looking over at his best friend and faux-brother, "I'll have to tell him it's all over. That it was just, I don't know, a game or something."

"Pretty sick game. Who won?"

"Him apparently, Don. He got exactly what he wanted." He glanced around to see if anyone was listening to intently to them, but found that the Great Hall was, for the most part, empty. "I'm not telling Head of House on him, I've let him kiss me dozens of times…we slept in the same bed last night."

"In the buff."

"Yea." Sev nodded. "I felt a little more of Draco Malfoy then I ever thought I would." He turned away to glance up at the head table where Severus was leaning over to listen to something that the Headmaster was saying. He stared for a moment before turning back to Don, "Hey, Don?"

"Yeah, Sev?" Don spoke between forkfuls of breakfast.

"Do you ever wonder about…you know, my Dad and…a certain pal of his. You know; their real story?"

"Uh…I try not to. Neither of them is fairly attractive…I don't think it would be much of a pretty sight."

"…Is that your way of saying that Draco and I are attractive?"

"Loads more attractive then _our_ _Dad_ and his pal are!"

Sev smiled softly, shaking his head, reaching to put some of the pancakes and sausages on to his pale, "Okay, Don. Thanks for the talk."

"Anytime mate! You just say the word."

"Hey, what's the matter?" Draco prodded Sev in the shoulder later that night in the common room, "You've been avoiding me all day. What's up?"

Sev looked up, "Oh, hi."

Draco raised an eyebrow, "…Hi."

"I'm not, avoiding you Draco. I'm just really busy. This semester is starting to get away from me."

"Well, it's almost Halloween, we have that to look forward to." He sat down on the arm of the chair, leaning in to whisper, "I heard there's going to be a nice party."

"Oh?"

"Yea." He nodded. "Want to go with me?"

"Um…" Sev swallowed, "I'd…like to, but…"

"But you don't want anyone to know…I get it." He nodded. "That's alright. I'll just ask Pansy to go with me. No big deal… Who are you going to ask then?"

"Err…I don't know if I'll go."

"You have to go. You're a prefect."

"Oh." Sev shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure."

"Oh come on…you must have some little girl crush, Sev. I can tell you weren't completely into _us_ last night. Whose holding you back?"

"Not a soul, Draco. I guess I'm just not as sexually inclined as you are."

"It's not a matter of being 'sexually inclined', Sev. It's a matter of if you are really interested in me at all, or if you're just fucking with my head."

"I'm sorry." Sev looked down at the book his lap, his teeth clenching together involuntarily, "I didn't mean anything by any of it."

"You didn't mean anything, or _it_ didn't mean anything?"

"Err…" Sev looked up at him, surprised at the color in Draco's face. "Are you upset about this? I thought we were just, you know, uh, joking around, you know?"

"I never joke around when it comes to this kind of thing, Snape."

"Well, uh…now I know." Sev shrugged.

"Yea, you do." Draco stood up from the arm of the chair. "Good night."

"…Good night."


	9. The Big Date

Note: I noticed another story here on with the same title… I think mine is better though. I was worried for about 30 seconds that it was a rip off of my story, but thankfully…not even close! Enjoy chapter nine! I think there will be more "omg! Draco and 'Sev' gonna make teh kisses!" moments –and I do mean 'teh'. Also, if there are any formatting things that I'm not noticing –let me know so I can fix them!

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Nine

"Say, Sev…" Ginny swung her hips in what he supposed was supposed to be an alluring way, as she slid up next to his table in the library, "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh…sure… Is Hermione around?"

Ginny laughed, "No, I made sure she wasn't looking when I snuck out of the common room." She sat down next to him, and touched his hand, "I was wondering, if you'd like to go to the Halloween dinner and dance with me."

"Uh…" Sev looked up at her, "Are…are you sure? I mean, shouldn't you go with someone from your own house?"

Ginny shrugged, "I like you –I thought it would be fun."

"Uh…you do, uh, realize that I'm not very popular, and I'm a Slytherin and all of that, right? Aren't Slytherins and Gryffindors bitter enemies?"

"We aren't enemies, are we Sev?" Ginny clasped her fingers with his. "I didn't think we were, anyway."

"Uh, Ginny, I would love to go with you, but--."

"Oh good!" She grinned, standing. "I'm so excited!"

"Ginny –I want to, but, I really can't."

"What? Why not, Sev?"

"I don't want you to get into any trouble with the other people in your house, Ginny; especially Hermione." He pulled her back into the chair, looking deep into her eyes. "I think she's really depending on you for some stability right now…err, not that I know her well or anything, but…it seems like since Harry Potter and Ron Weasley disappeared, that, she, uh, needs a friend."

Ginny tilted her head, staring at him for a moment, scruitinizing his face, "Okay. I understand, Sev." She let go of his hand, standing up, "But can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He nodded.

"If you won't go with me…who are you going with?"

"Uh, no one." Sev shook his head.

"Uh huh." She nodded. "See you there, Sev. I'll save a dance for you."

"Ginny asked you out?!" Don was torn between beating Sev around the ears and hugging his sister for such a good choice in boys.

"Yea, but…I turned her down."

"Why?!"

"I told her it was because of our houses."

"Do you like her?"

"I guess." Sev shrugged. "I mean, she's your sister. She's been my friend for awhile. It's weird that she's, you know, attracted to me or something."

"…Do you think she knows about us?"

"I don't think so. Not unless Hermione told her, but…I don't think she'd do that." Sev shook his head. "I think we should be cautious though; especially around our old friends."

Don nodded, "Sure. I'll keep an eye out for suspicious characters."

"Don, I'm being serious."

"I know you are!" Don shook his head. "I think you're just getting a little to worked up over Ginny asking you to go to the Halloween Dance with you."

"Maybe." Sev shrugged.

"Now c'mon. We've got Potions. If we're late, dear old Dad is going to kill us." Ron grabbed his bag from the floor in the hall where they had been talking.

Sev nodded, following along after him.

"I heard a little rumor about you." Draco's voice carried over the shower stalls later that night, as Sev washed his hair.

"Oh? What was that?" He asked, tipping his head back to rinse the shampoo out of his hair.

"I heard a little Gryffindor asked you to the Halloween dance."

"Oh, uh…yea, well, just Ginny Weasley."

"What did you tell her?"

"You heard the rumor –you tell me."

"Did you tell her you'd go?"

"No. Of course not –why would I want to go out with a Gryffindor –not to mention a _Weasley_? Are you mad?"

"Why not? She's cute, for a poor little wretch. Consider it your good deed for the year."

"…You want me to go out with her?"

"Sure, why not?" Draco's shower turned off, and he stepped out, "I mean, you should take a date. And I don't think anyone else would have enough gall to ask you."

"Oh?" Sev asked.

"Yea, Sev. No one else is going to take the chance of asking you out when your Dad works for the school –who knows what he might do to them. I'll give Weasley that –she's got guts. I don't think she's thought at all about what Professor Snape would do to the two of you if you got caught doin' the dirty, or anything."

"Why would you even think about that?"

"I'm worried about you. You don't seem to know what it is that you want, Sev."

Sev pushed the curtain back just far enough to stick his head out, "What do you mean I don't know what I want?"

"Well…just the other day, you didn't want to take your hands off of me…an then you decided that it wasn't for you."

"I know what I want, Draco."

"Oh? And what's that, Sev?"

"None of your bloody business, that's for sure." He disappeared back behind the curtain, just to have it ripped back open. "Jeez, Draco! What are you doing?!"

Draco pushed him back against the back wall of the shower after tugging the curtain back into place, "I made you a promise…"

"Yea, and then I told you that it was over. You don't have to worry about it anymore. I was just…I was playing with you, Draco."

"And I told you that I never play, Sev." Draco kissed him. "I'm standing by it –I only want you, and that isn't going to change. That's my part of the agreement. I won't let you forget about it."

"But I want you to, Draco; to forget about all of it. It isn't good for either one of us."

"That's shit, and you know it." Draco pulled him up against him, and Sev couldn't find it in himself to resist. "You know you liked it the other day –our 'deal making'."

"Get out, Draco." Sev grasped both of Draco's wrists, pushing him away. "I mean it –we're both naked, and wet, and I'm trying to take a shower."

"That just makes this all the better, Sev." Draco shook his head. "Why are you pushing me away when I know that isn't what you really want?"

"Don't tell me what I want, Draco." Sev pushed him further away before letting go of his wrists, and turning towards the shower head. "I'm really sick of it."

"I'm sorry." Draco whispered in his ear, pressing a kiss to Sev's back, "I just don't get why you're acting like this."

"Please get out." Sev tried to keep any kind of emotion out of his voice, trying to ignore Draco pressed up against his backside, trying to ignore the heat of his skin.

"Fine, if that's what you want, Sev. I'll go." Draco pressed a final kiss to the back of his neck before letting his fingers trail across his shoulder as he exited, letting the door close loudly behind him a few moments later.

"Psst…Ginny?" Sev hissed from between the bookstacks. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Huh? –Sure, Sev. What's the matter?" She glanced around to make sure Hermione wasn't watching her before leaning to peer between the books at him.

"Uh, about the Halloween Dance…"

"What about it?"

"Err, I 'spose you've already found yourself a date, right?"

"No. Why?" Her face brightened. "Will you go with me? You changed your mind!"

"Uh, yea. I mean, there aren't any good reasons why we shouldn't…and I really would like to go with you."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Sev! I am so excited! We are going to have so much fun! Just wait until I tell all the girls! They're going to be so jealous!"

"Huh?"

"So, you'll meet me in the Great Hall at seven, right? Or would you like to pick me up near my common room?"

"Uh…"

"Hermione is going to tell me when I tell her!"

"Ginny! Um…Maybe we should, keep this just between us? I mean, I wouldn't want my date to get murdered before we can even attend the dance, you know?"

"Oh. Okay." She nodded, and then grinned, "We can totally blow them away at the dance! Everyone will be so surprised!"

"Uh huh." Sev nodded and glanced over, "Oh—Hermione Alert. I'll just…get going…see you later, Ginny."

"Bye Sev –talk to you soon!" Ginny turned and tried to look nonchalant as Hermione approached.

"Ginny! How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to him?!"

"He was just asking me where a book was Herm. Don't get your knickers in a bunch."

"Ginny…" Hermione pressed her fingertips to her temples, "I'm doing this for you benefit…I don't want to do this, you know."

"Really? 'Cause you seem like you really enjoy ruining my life."

"Look, Gin… Sev and his brother aren't who you think they are."

"What do you know about it, Hermione?"

"Ginny, they were…at Headquarters when I was there this summer. I think I know them pretty well. Better then you at any rate."

"…You what?"

"You heard me."

"Were they there when Harry and Ron were?"

"…Sort of. It isn't important."

"What aren't you telling me, Hermione?"

"Just trust me when I say you should stay away from them, okay?" Hermione shrugged. "You've got to trust me, Ginny…we've got to stick together."

Ginny shook her head, "I don't think my brother and Harry would agree with you, Hermione. They might disagree with me dating Sev, but…I don't think they would see anything wrong with them in particular, especially if the Headmaster trusted them enough to let them into Headquarters." She replaced the book she had been pretending to peruse, "I've got some homework I left in my dormitory. I'll just nick off and get it."

Hermione bit her tongue watching her leave.

"So…you're going with Ginny now?" Don asked, staring between their two beds at Sev. "What changed your mind?"

"Uh…I'm not sure. I guess it just sounded like a good idea."

"What'd Hermione do?"

"I don't think she knows we're going yet. But, you can bet she won't be happy when she finds out." Sev shook his head, brushing his hair out of his face. "This is all starting to get…really, uh…fucked up."

"You can say that again." Ron nodded.

Sev yawned, "We'll deal with it tomorrow…g'night Don."

"G'night Sev."

The two had just pulled their curtains shut and begun drifting off to bed when Sev was pulled slightly out of his sleep as a body slid into the bed next to him. He didn't really think about it, sliding his hands around the mysterious waist, and shifting deeper under the covers. He realized something was wrong though when cool hands slid underneath his shirt, stroking his chest, and lips pressed against his.

"What—Draco!"

"Hmm?" Draco asked.

"What are you doing? Get out of my bed." Sev pushed him away.

"I was lonely." Draco pouted, pressing a kiss to Sev's lips.

"That doesn't mean you can just invite yourself over into my bed!"

"I already did, didn't I? Just relax." Draco coaxed.

"Jesus, Draco… You think I'm the one who doesn't know what he wants…but you top it all. Get out of my bed." Sev pushed against his chest, pushing him towards the edge of the bed, "I am not interested in you, alright? I've got a girl, okay?"

Draco laughed, "Are you talking about Ginny Weasley? That's not a girl mate! That's a charity case!"

"That's enough, get out." Sev pushed him harder, and there was a loud thud as Draco landed on the floor. "Leave me alone, Draco, and I mean it." He snapped his curtains back into place, and burrowed down into his covers again, ignoring Draco's cursing.

It seemed like forever until Halloween arrived, and Sev was nervous for his date with Ginny. So far, it seemed like she hadn't told anyone about their arrangement, which made him feel a little better. Draco had still been harassing him over the last couple of weeks, but he seemed to be moving on, which could be a good or a bad thing.

"You look good." Don assured him, as he straightened his robes again.

"You're sure? I don't look like an over-grown bat or anything?"

"No!" Don sighed, "C'mon, Ginny is probably waiting for you already." He pushed him towards the door, "Hurry up before she gives up on you!"

Sev took a deep breath before exited the dormitory and common room for the spot near the stairs where he and Ginny had agreed to meet. He sighed in relief to see that she wasn't there yet when he arrived; taking a moment to straighten his robes again and brush his hair back out of his eyes.

"You look nice." Ginny's voice came from above him, and he looked up where she was leaning over the railing of the stairs.

"Thanks… What I can see of you looks nice too." He smiled back.

She laughed, making her way down the rest of the stairs, clasping her hands behind her back as she approached, "And the rest of me?"

Sev licked his lips, nodding, "You took fantastic, Ginny."

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Uh…shall we?" He offered her his arm, which she took with a nod, and the two of them stepped towards the Great Hall where the dance was just beginning to get underway.

All eyes seemed to turn on them, and Sev leaned down to whisper into Ginny's ear, "Uh…I probably should have warned you…I'm not much of a dancer."

"That's alright –I'm not either." She laughed. "…Shall we wow them with our spastic dancing abilities together?"

Sev nodded, "Sounds like a good way to start the night…"

The other dancers parted, seeming to let them into the center of the dance floor, where Sev was pleased to hear a slower song starting –which meant feet shuffling! The only dance he had mastered in his sixteen years.

Ginny laughed, moving his hands down to her hips, "Don't be so shy, Sev…." She placed her hands on his shoulders, and closing the space between them. "Don't you know that when you dance –you should be able to hold up a magazine between your bodies?"

"I've never heard that." Sev shook his head, "Where'd you learn that?"

She rolled her eyes, "The girls in the dorm have been talking about this dance for weeks –it was awful trying to keep our date from them, you know. Did a lot of girls ask you?"

Sev shook his head, "No…Draco Malfoy say's you've got a lot of gall, asking me out."

Ginny nodded, "That's me –a fearless Weasley and all that."

"I'm glad you asked me, Ginny. I was prepared to not come at all."

Ginny smirked, "I'm glad I asked you too."

After they had danced a couple of songs, they decided to take a sit next to Don, who was going stag.

"You two having fun?" Don asked, drinking what seemed to be one of many glasses of punch.

"The best time –how are you, Don?" Ginny asked, "You came alone?"

"Uh huh." He nodded. "Didn't have enough guts to ask anyone."

"Oh, Don! I'm sure there are a lot of girls who'd have wanted to come with you! Who were you thinking of asking?"

Don let his eyes flit around the room for a bit. "I, er, I thought about asking Hermione, but…I didn't think she'd be very perceptive…"

"Oh…hmm, maybe you're right."

"Whose she with tonight anyway?" Don asked, leaning forward, "Someone awful?"

"I think she came with Neville Longbottom –I'm sure you know him. He's blown up a lot of things already this year."

"We know Neville." Sev nodded. "Trust us."

Ginny laughed, "He's very sweet…he's just very clumsy."

"I can believe that." Don nodded. "What's she doing here with him?"

"He asked her, and she said yes…I don't really know much more then that."

"Oh." Don nodded.

"You know…she mentioned that you two were at the…err…Headquarters this summer…" Ginny looked between the two of them. "Did you happen to talk to Harry and Ron before they disappeared?"

"Err…" Don and Sev looked between each other.

"Well, they were there…but, we didn't talk much." Don shook his head. "They weren't very…receptive to us, I guess. Couldn't believe that Professor Snape was our Dad and all that." Don shrugged. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if you knew what really happened to them." Ginny shrugged. "I hate it when people don't tell me stuff…everyone still treats me like a child, and I'm fifteen!" She sighed, leaning on the table. "My parents treat me like a baby, just because I'm the youngest…I hate it."

"Well, I'm sure they're just trying to, you know, keep you safe."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be kept safe anymore. I want to have adventures like Ron and Harry and Hermione… I never get to join in on any of the fun."

"I doubt that very much." Don shook his head.

Ginny shrugged, "I just wish they'd hurry up and come back...I can't help but be worried about them."

"I'm sure they're fine." Don patted her shoulder, and looked up just in time to cringe at the sight of Hermione making her way across the room, "Oh no. What's gotten in her knickers now?"

"What are you doing?" Hermione approached, crossing her arms over her chest.

"To which of us are you referring to?" Sev asked.

"All of you!"

"Well…Don here is drinking punch, and Ginny and I are taking a rest after dancing. And yourself Hermione; how are you?"

"Don't give me that crap! What are you doing here with him, Ginny? I expressly told you not to pursue this little…thing."

"Since when are you the boss of me, Hermione Granger?" Ginny stood up, "For your information, I even asked my _Mum_ if I could come to this dance with Sev, and she actually encouraged it!"

"Yea, Hermione, lay off. She can date whoever she wants." Don scoffed.

"_You_ shut up!" Hermione snapped. "I want to talk to both of you, now; in private!"

Don downed the last of his punch, standing, while Sev sighed, "We'll be right back, Ginny. Why don't you go dance with one of your friends for a bit?"

"I can wait for you." Ginny shrugged. "No big deal."

"…We might be a while." Sev warned her, and followed Don and Hermione out into the hallway and a ways into the dungeon hallways into an empty room.

"What are you two doing?!" Hermione hissed.

"We're attending a dance Hermione… Gosh, and you're supposed to be the smart one." Don scoffed.

"That isn't funny, Don!" Hermione shook her head. "If you two keep this up, Ginny is going to find out –and if Ginny knows, that's one more person that has to keep this little secret under wraps! Are you stupid?"

"Hermione, why are you so angry at us?" Sev asked, "I don't get it! She asked me to go to the dance, and after some careful consideration, I decided I would."

"You're ruining her reputation, Harry!"

"Hermione!" Sev hissed.

"I'm sorry!" She hissed back, "It slipped! You're being infuriating!"

"Well so are you! We're supposed to be blending in! You're making us look suspicious!"

"This plan isn't working… People are asking questions left and right… Harry and Ron need to make and appearance, and soon."

Sev sighed, and nodded, "I know…it's starting to get to us too… We'll have a chat with Dumbledore…maybe we can…send a letter or something. To tell people we're still alive and all that."

Hermione sighed, crossing her arms, "…You both, err…look really nice tonight."

"Thanks." Sev nodded. "You look nice too."

"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting." She looked off in the opposite direction. "I'm just…I really miss you both."

"We miss you too, Hermione." Don clapped a hand on her shoulder. "And…we can be friends, even like this, but…you're so hostile to us. We're supposed to be transfer students...and, I mean , we spent our summer together, of course we'd be friends."

"Yeah." Hermione nodded. "I guess you have a point. I…er…I'll try harder to get along with the two of you now."

"Good." Don nodded. "And to show that there are no hard feelings –you'll have a dance with me."

"What? I never—Don!" Hermione shrieked as he pulled her out of the room and back towards the Great Hall, "Hey! I said I'd be nicer, not that I want to dance with a prat like you!"

"Hmm…I like I like feisty women. C'mon, Hermione…The night is starting to wind down. Just one little dance won't kill you."

"Hah!"

Sev smiled, following a few paces behind them, before entering the Great Hall again, catching the eye of Ginny from across the room. Maybe this night wouldn't turn out to be such a nightmare after all?


	10. The Father Figure

Note: Cruel and Unusual Punishment –I want at least 5 NEW reviews before I'll post chapter 11… Soooo, if you really want to see more, I suggest you drop me some love!

-Also, I wholeheartedly apologize for the ridiculousness of my layouts… It's very obnoxious, I know. Double Spacing doesn't' seem to be helping between section breaks at all, so I'll have to remember dashes –I haven't been writing for in awhile, and it's hard to get back into the swing of things. Sorry, again.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Ten

"I had fun tonight." Ginny had linked arms with Sev, walking her back towards the general direction of the Gryffindor common room, "Besides all of the obvious problems. I think Hermione and Don had fun too –poor Neville."

"I think he'll be alright." Sev shrugged, stopping her as they approached the end of the corridor near the common room, "I assume this is close to your common room?"

Ginny nodded, "Yeah."

"I'll drop you off here then." He slipped her arm from his, "And, I, err…I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure." She nodded, clasping her hands behind her back and attempting towards 'coy', "So…what are you doing the rest of the night?"

Sev raised an eyebrow, "Err, going to bed, I suppose."

"Oh. And…is there something going on before you get back to your house?"

Sev thought for a moment. "Err…am I forgetting something?"

Ginny shrugged, "Maybe… You might be."

Sev nodded, something finally clicking in his head, "Oh, right. Good night, Ginny." He placed a short kiss to her cheek. "We should do this again sometime."

Ginny's face turned a shade of pink, "We should." She put her palms on either side of his face, pulling him down to her height again to kiss him on the lips, lingering for an extra moment before she took a step back, with a bit of a grin on her face, "Good night, Sev." She turned on her heel, walking the rest of the length towards her common room with a bit of a bounce in her step.

"Did you have fun on your date?" Draco was waiting for Sev in the common room when he got back a few minutes after he had left Ginny.

"Yeah, I did." Sev nodded.

"And I take it you like her?"

"I do." Sev nodded again. "Is there a problem with that, Draco?"

"No, no, of course not, Sev." Draco ran his hand over Sev's shoulders, as he circled him, ending by tilting Sev's chin upward, "But what are you going to tell your new girlfriend when she finds out about us?"

"She won't, Draco." Sev brushed his hand away. "I have faith that you wouldn't want a certain affection of _yours_ to get out any time soon –or do I have to remind you of your little infatuation with a certain red head, and a boy with a scar?"

"You'd never prove it." Draco shook his head. "You can't scare me."

"I think I have access to a pensive, should anyone need proof from me. My memory should prove interesting."

"Bastard."

"Good night, Draco." Sev side-stepped past him towards the common room with a last-second parting to trail over his shoulder, "See you in the morning, Mate."

"So, Sev is seeing Ginny Weasley?" Remus was touching the things on Severus's desk about a month later. "Is that wise?"

"It's wiser then his first choice in love interests." Severus was trying not to ignore Remus was he graded papers, "Trust me on that one, Remus."

Remus sat in the chair across from Severus's desk. "Oh? Why is that?"

Severus put down his pen to look up at his lover, "He thought he might be interested in…the last person on earth you'd ever think of."

Remus thought for a moment, pondering, "Hmm… Lavender Brown?"

"Wrong gender, wrong house."

Remus straightened, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Severus nodded.

"Draco Malfoy? Are you kidding me?"

"No." Severus shook his head. "A few days after term started, he asked me what I thought about it… I told him to do whatever he wanted."

"And you don't know anything else after that?"

"I don't think I _want_ to know anything else after that, Remus." Severus shook his head.

"And now he's dating Ginny?" Remus shook his head. "I can't say that I would have suspected that, of all things. –About Draco I mean."

Severus shrugged, "So, you still haven't told me what you're doing here –No one saw you come down here, I hope."

"No. I had to speak with the headmaster, so I thought I would stop by to say hello…possibly a little bit more."

"Hmm." Severus nodded, "Well, I wish I could indulge you, but unfortunately, I'm a bit to busy to romp about with you right now."

"Don't be crude!" Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh, so that's not what you came for?"

"Oh, of course it is, but you don't have to say it out loud."

"I'm sorry Remus…I really don't have time."

"Hmm…" He nodded, standing with a sigh, "Aright, well, I guess I'll just let myself out then –can I at least have a kiss before I go?"

Severus narrowed his eyes at him, with a slight smirk, "Don't think I don't know your game, Remus Lupin. You're trying to make me feel guilty –and I'm here to say that it isn't going to work."

"Not even a chaste one?" Remus leaned on the desk, "C'mon… Who knows when the next time we'll see each other will be? It could be weeks…months."

"We'll see each other at the holidays." Severus assured him. "Sev, Don, and I will be staying at Headquarters, I think."

"Oh? That will be nice." Remus nodded, "But what about the rest of the brood? Hermione and Ginny will probably be along as well…"

"Hmm, well…Maybe that will be the time that…Sev tells Ginny his little secret."

"Have you talked to the Headmaster about that?"

Severus nodded, "We have discussed it, quite a bit. Especially after Halloween –you should have been the shocked looks between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. It was like they had walked in, in buff or something. It was fantastic, the way all of the students eyes popped out of their heads."

"I'm sure it must have been some sight to see." Remus nodded. "I also take it that Hermione is being less hostile towards the boys?"

Severus nodded again, "They're even studying together like old times… I think it's, er…freaking everyone out, I believe is the correct term."

Remus laughed, moving around the desk to press a kiss to Severus's lips, "I love it when you try to talk like a student. It's so cute."

"This coming from the boy who used 'cool' as every other word when we were in school…or do I need to remind you?"

"I did not!" Remus scoffed.

"Oh Severus, your new robes are so cool! Oh Severus, it's so cool that you want to go to the library! Oh Severus, wouldn't it be cool if we went up to the Astronomy Tower? I hear it's really cool at night!"

"Shut up." Remus silenced him with another kiss. "You hardly talked at all –I had to make up all of the conversation."

"You always wanted conversation at the worst times." Severus shook his head.

"I like to hear you talk…" The werewolf proceeded to push some of the papers back off of Severus's desk, to sit in front of him, putting his hands on top of Severus's shoulder, "You've got a really sexy voice, Sevvie."

"Oh god…" Severus leaned back in his chair, letting Remus's hands slip down his chest, "I suppose I have no choice but to give into you now, isn't that right, Remmie?"

"Ew, don't call me that!"

"You're such a schoolboy." Severus stood up, moving Remus's knees apart to stand between them, and kissing him again, pulling his long fingers though his silvering hair. The pair was interrupted however by knock.

"Who is it?" Severus barked, prepared to give whoever it was a very severe punishment.

"Err…it's Sev… Is this a bad time?" He opened the door slightly, "Oh, err, hi, Remus."

"Hello Sev." Remus got down from the desk, and moved back around the desk, "We…weren't doing anything."

"Bloody hell we weren't." Severus cursed, "What do you want?"

"I thought we had a…lesson, but I guess not, so I'll just be getting back to my common room." Sev nodded. "You two have a nice night."

"Oy! Wait a second…" Remus stopped him. "How about your side of this rumor –What's this I'm hearing about you and Ginny?"

"Well, I went to the Halloween Dance with her. That's really it. We study together with her and Hermione once in awhile, but…I mean, she's a Gryffindor…" He scoffed, and then bit his tongue, "I didn't really mean that the way it sounded…"

"And what about this Draco business?"

Sev averted his eyes towards his father, "You told him!"

"He asked." Severus shrugged. "You never swore me to secrecy."

"I can't believe you did that!" Sev shook his head. "I shouldn't have had to make you swear! Your supposed to be my father! You can't just go telling people things I tell you in confidence!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sure you are." Sev nodded. "You really haven't changed at all, have you? You still hate me, don't you?"

"Sev…" Remus reached to stop him.

"No, I don't want any excuses from either of you. Just…leave me alone." Sev pulled the door shut again.

"Well…that wasn't good." Remus shook his head.

"Thanks, Remus. Now he thinks I hate him." Severus shrugged.

Remus sighed, "Are you sure you don't? –I'm not insinuating anything, Sevvie, don't look at me like that. I mean… You just found out that he was your son, and…I think you were getting along a little to well… He's never had a father before, and I don't think you were what he was looking for."

"I'm trying, Remus. I really am –what the hell do I know about teenagers?"

"Well, think about what your life was like at sixteen."

Severus nodded, "I had to put up with your mates torturing me, while you looked the other way, and shagged me when they weren't looking."

"Severus…don't get mad at me!"

"I'm not. We're not school boys anymore, Remus, thank god."

"You're right, we're not." Remus nodded, "And both of my friends are dead now, so…I shag you wherever, and whenever I want." He moved to try and kiss him, but Severus held him at an arms length.

"Now you're being crude."

Remus sighed, "Sev will get over this. In a couple of days, he won't even remember why he's mad at you."

"Sure he will." Severus nodded, "I never got over my grudges, why should he get over his?"

"I think this change is opening Sev's eyes… He's seeing that you're not such a bad person, Severus."

"He doesn't know me, Remus. He's _son_ and he doesn't know me. Do you know how scary that is? Lily fucked both of us over with her selfishness –I never got to know my son, and he never got to know me."

"Well, the only thing we can do right now is…try and make up for lost time. So just relax, and trust me when I say he'll get over it."

Severus nodded, pulling Remus back into his arms, "C'mon…I think you wanted a romp before you left?"

The rest of November passed by quickly, and with the exception of a few Occulumency and Potions lessons, Sev had very little to do with his father. He tried to keep Ginny out of it, brushing off her questions about it, but finally a few days before vacation, he couldn't ignore it anymore.

"What are you doing for the Holidays?" Ginny asked as they worked quietly in the library.

"Umm…I'm going to Headquarters with my…Dad."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up, "I'll be there too! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I guess I didn't want to think about it…spending more time with my Dad, I guess." Sev shrugged, "But I'm glad you'll be there too –you can take my mind off of things."

"So…what's going on between you and your Dad?" Ginny asked. "Don says you haven't spoken to him since the beginning of November."

Sev shrugged, "He, uh, told someone something that I had thought was just between us. He doesn't know much about being a father."

"What Dad does?" Ginny laughed. "I'm lucky –my parents had my six brothers to practice on, and they still don't have it quite right yet."

"What are you talking about? Your parents are great, Gin." Sev shook his head. "Mine are…lying, cheating bastards." He bit his tongue, "I'm sorry, that just came out."

"Are you talking about your Dad?"

"No… Yes. In a way, but I really…I blame my Mum." Sev shook his head. "Can we not talk about this?"

"We can stop, if you promise to tell me about it later –over holiday." She held out her pinky. "Promise me."

Sev nodded, linking pinkies with her, "Sure, Gin. I'll tell you all about it over vacation."

"I know you will." She leaned over the table to kiss him. "I have to go –I wanted to get some packing done early –but I'll see you at dinner?"

Sev nodded, "Sure. I'll save you a seat." He let watched her pack up the rest of her stuff, before she kissed him again and made her way out of the library.

"Spending the holiday with your _girlfriend_, Sev?" Draco leaned in over his shoulder. "What a shame –I had rather hoped you'd be around Hogwarts…"

"Why? I thought you were going home."

"Change of plans –My parents decided to take a little holiday themselves to France, so I'm staying here." Draco brushed Sev's back from his face, "Your hair is getting long."

"I hadn't noticed."

"It's looks good long."

"I'll probably cut it during vacation."

Draco smiled nodding, "Of course you will. You have a girlfriend now, why would you care about being aesthetically pleasing to me." He leaned to whisper, "It doesn't matter what you do to yourself, Sev. You'll always attractive."

"Are you stalking me? This sounds slightly threatening."

"I just want to realize that you don't belong with a red-headed Weasel. You want me." Draco shrugged. "And the sooner you realize that, the more fun that can be had."

"For you maybe."

"Oh, no Sev –you will be the guest of honor when it comes to any kind of fun that I'll be having." Draco didn't even look around before pressing a kiss to his lips. Sev shoved him backwards, hoping that he hadn't caught anyone attention.

"What are you thinking, Draco? Are you crazy! You can do that here!" Sev hissed, beginning to pack up his books. "It's one thing when you're coming on to me when we're in the common room, or in our dormitory, but in the _library_? What do you think you're doing?"

Draco didn't answer, touching his fingers to his lips for a second, a small smile crossing his lips, "Don't get your panties and bundle, Sev. It was just a joke."

"Nothing is ever a joke with you, Draco!" Sev shook his head. "Excuse me, I have work to do."

Draco sighed, taking a seat at the now deserted table. He wasn't trying to make Sev's life difficult… He was just finding that his infatuation was beginning to get more serious every day –and with no other prospects to take his mind off things… Sexual tension was clouding his mind, not to mention some of the other parts of his anatomy.


	11. The Girlfriend

Note: Again, five posts needed before I post the next chapter! Review count will be posted on the summery. Don't depend on other people –review for yourself! I really don't think that it's to much to ask.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Eleven

"Happy Christmas –oh it's so good to see you all again!" Molly threw her arms around Sev, Don, Ginny, and Hermione as they all walked through the door, Severus not far behind them, fresh from the train.

"Hello to you too, Molly –I don't suppose we could actually get _inside_ though?" Severus tried to push his way through.

"Oh –of course!" Molly led them all into the house, "Come to the kitchen –I've saved a bit of lunch for you –you must all be starved!"

"Thanks Mum." Ginny linked arms with Sev, clasping their fingers together, "I don't suppose you know if Ron and Harry will be back for Christmas, do you?"

"Um, well… Molly looked up at Severus, who shrugged, "I'm not really sure about that Love. We'll just wait to wait and see."

"Oh…well, I'm glad you're here with me at least." She leaned up and kissed Sev.

"Err…I'm glad too, Gin." He leaned in, "You just, uh, kissed me in front of your Mum…"

She laughed, "I know!"

"…Okay." Sev nodded. "Let's go get our luggage, hmm?"

"Okay." She nodded, pulling him back outside towards the car.

Once they were gone, Don turned to both his mother and his Professor, "We've got to tell Ginny, Mum. She's driving me bonkers talking about us all of the time!"

Hermione dropped her suitcase loudly, "You think it's been hard? Trying living in the same house as her! It's madness!"

"The Headmaster and I already discussed informing Ginny of what's been happening." Severus folded his hands together, "I'll tell Sev tonight that…he should tell her."

Don nodded, "Good… By the way, how much longer do we have to stay hidden like this anyway?"

Molly shook her head, "I'm not sure...I hope it's not much longer though."

Don nodded, "I hope not either. It's been nearly six months, and the war is still raging on all around us, Mum… Har—Sev won't talk about it, but I know it bothers him that the Order won't let him help."

"He'll get a chance to make a difference in this effort, Don. You just need to trust in the headmaster." Severus looked out through the front window where Ginny and Sev were chasing each other around in the snow, pelting each other with snowballs, until Sev caught Ginny around the waist, pulling her down into the snow with him, where their faces disappeared somewhere behind the fur around Ginny's hood.

"Sev, we need to have a chat." Severus pulled him aside just after dinner, "The Headmaster and I, as well as Molly and Arthur, and everyone… we think you should tell Ginny what's going on."

Sev furrowed his eyebrows, "You do?"

He nodded, "You're starting to get serious about each other, right? You shouldn't…hide this from her."

"Alright, I'll tell her tonight with Don and Hermione."

"Good, the sooner the better." He started to turn before he stopped, "Um…about what Remus said to you, the last time we were all together… I really am sorry, Sev. I know our past history isn't…the greatest, but…I do care about you, you are my son and I've accepted that. And, I don't expect you accept me as your father, but…maybe someday, you can accept me as someone you can care about."

Sev nodded, but didn't answer, biting his tongue to keep any emotion out of his face, "…I better go talk to Gin."

"Good luck, Son. You may need it." And with that, Severus disappeared down the hall to the room he and Remus were sharing.

A few minutes later, Sev and Don had gathered Ginny and Hermione into the privacy of their bedroom.

"Err, Ginny…We've decided that there's something you should know." Sev started, sitting on the edge of his bed, next to Don, Ginny sitting with Hermione, across from them. "This may be surprising, and nothing what you expect."

"Sev," She smiled, "You're scaring me. What's the matter?"

"Well, I'm not…Sev, per say."

"What?"

"And, I'm not Donte." Don shook his head.

"Then you are…?" She looked blankly at them.

"Ginny, Harry and Ron aren't on a trip." Hermione turned to look at her. "They've been with us the whole time"

"You mean…" Ginny looked between Sev and Don, "You're… Harry?" She stared at Sev, "Wh…why didn't you tell me?"

"We couldn't." Sev shook his head. "I wanted to, especially after Halloween, but we were all sworn to secrecy. I understand…if you don't want to see me anymore."

"Ron?" She gasped, looking at her brother, "What…how did all of this happen? Why are you both masquerading as Snape's sons?"

"Well, that's the other part of it, Ginny. Snape is my father." Sev brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I found out over the summer… They found some letters my mum wrote, talking about this paternity charm she had cast on me before I born so that James Potter wouldn't know that she had an affair on him with Sna—Severus."

"Is this…is that why you told me you didn't like your Mum?"

Sev nodded, "Yeah."

"Sev—Harry, I don't understand though…why do you…look like that? And Ron too!"

"Professor Dumbledore thought it would be a good idea for us to hide out –you can't find Harry Potter if Harry Potter doesn't exist." He shrugged, "And Ron came along so I didn't have to do it alone."

"Ron, that's so sweet!" She got up to hug her brother, and then hit him. "You prat! I can't believe I told you some of that stuff! How could you let m prattle on like that!"

"I tried to help! I couldn't just blurt out who I was!" Don dodged her fists. "Hey, why aren't you hitting Harry? He's the one that's been making out with you under all of these falsities!"

"Oh, he'll get what's coming to him!" Ginny rounded on Hermione. "And YOU! How could you try and keep me from them when you knew perfectly well that they weren't trying to hurt me! You made them sound like such creeps!"

"They are creeps!" Hermione defended herself. "Who else but Harry and Ron would come back to Hogwarts and still try to be friends with the Gryffindors! And besides –I've heard awful rumors about YOU, Harry Potter!" She pushed Ginny out of the way to stare at him. "What's this I've heard about you kissing Draco Malfoy –of all people –in the library?!"

Harry's mouth fell open, "You saw that?"

"It's true?!" Ginny shrieked, "Harry, how could you!"

"Err…I think I smell pie…I'm going to get a slice… C'mon, Hermione, you can come too." Don stood quickly, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her through the door before Sev could stop them.

"Harry…you really kissed Draco?"

"Ginny, it isn't like that at all. He…thought he was being funny or something. Please, don't get mad!"

"When was this?"

"…Er…the kiss in the library you mean?"

"Have there been kisses in other places?"

"Uh…no?"

"There have! Just how many times has he kissed you, Harry?!"

"…Umm…well, am I counting individually?"

Ginny's mouth dropped further open, "Are you kidding me? Please tell me you are kidding!"

Sev bit his lip, "Well, um…I really wish I was."

"How could you do this to me?! Even after we started going out?! Just…what have you been doing while you've been in Slytherin?"

"Ginny, you're taking all of this the wrong way –I mean, after the summer, I was really confused! I mean, Snape was my Dad, he was gay and sleeping with Remus! Hermione wasn't talking to Ron and I, and…Draco was making me offers that I couldn't refuse!"

Ginny stared at him blankly before shaking her head, "Wait…go back a second…"

"Hermione not talking to us?"

"No…before that."

"Snape being my Dad?"

"Just after that one…"

"Err…My real Dad is gay, and sleeping Remus?"

Ginny pursed her lips and nodded, "Yep…that's the one. When did this all…develop?"

"Well, as I understand it, they hooked up when they were…fifth years, and kind of progressed off-and-on since then."

Ginny collapsed onto Don's bed, "I am so confused."

"I'm sorry Ginny…" He got up to put his hands on her shoulders, only to be pushed away.

"Don't touch me right now, Harry. You…you're not who I thought you were…at all. I mean, I could have dealt with this whole Snape-is-my-dad-I'm-Harry-Potter thing, but… You kissed Draco –a lot!" She looked up at him. "What else did you do that you aren't telling me?"

"Nothing, Ginny, I swear it! It was just…" He sat next to her, "After school started, I found out that Draco had had a crush on me, Harry, and…he started to hit on me, Sev, I guess. Then I found out that he had been nearly molesting a Ravenclaw, so…I had to put a stop to it. It was stupid, Ginny, I know, but what's was done, was done, and I can't take it back. If I could, I would, and I never would have even dreamed of doing anything with Draco Malfoy… You believe me, don't you?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "How…how did you put a stop to this…Ravenclaw thing?"

"Err…I made him…promise me some things."

"Like what?" Ginny narrowed her eyes, her face turning an angry shade of pink.

"Err…Like, that he wouldn't…get into any more trouble, and that err…he wouldn't…do things with other boys, and…umm…"

"And…?" She persisted.

"Well…Umm…I told him…he had to, er…"

"You had sex with Draco, didn't you?"

"Err…not exactly."

"Harry!" She launched herself from the bed, spinning to pace the floor, "I can't believe you! You had _sex_ with Draco! What were you thinking?!"

"I didn't have sex with Draco, Ginny! We might have…done some…fondling, but other then that, there was nothing but kissing! I swear!"

"You swear? There is _nothing_ else that the two of you did?"

Sev bit his tongue, "We slept naked together…but that after _that_, there really wasn't anything… Oh wait, no, there were the times he got into the shower with me –but he totally did that on his own, I didn't invite him"

"Harry!" She shrieked again.

"This was long before you and I started going out, Ginny! After you asked me to the dance, I told Draco it was completely over!"

"Then why was he kissing you in the library?!"

"I…I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"He…still has feelings for me and all of that."

"Harry…" She sighed, shaking her head. "I don't think I can…I need to think about this. This is…a lot of information that needs to be processed. Until I decide…I think you should consider us…broken up."

"Ginny…" He reached for her, but she stepped away, towards the door.

"No, nothing you say at this point is going to make me feel any better about all of this. I mean… Draco Malfoy? If it had been a girl, or even my _brother_ I may have been able to look the other way…but, Draco? He's your sworn enemy... I just don't understand. I'm sorry, Harry."

"Ginny, don't leave angry." He got up, pulling her back forcefully, "Do you still like me? At least a little bit?"

"Of course…I've…I've always liked you –even before."

"And I really like you, Ginny. Can't we just…forget about this Draco thing?"

"I don't think so." She shook her head.

"You're going to let that bastard come between us, Ginny? You'd just be giving into him, you know."

"I'm sorry." She started to pull away, but he tightened his grip on her arms. "Harry, let me go."

"No." He shook his head, moving his hands to her face, tilting her face upwards to kiss her deeply, lingering much longer then necessary. "Ginny, I think I love you."

"I love you too," She whispered, taking his hands and lowering them gently to his sides, "but I really don't think I can just let this go. I'm really sorry, Harry. This hurts a lot more then you think it does."

"Gin…"

"No, no more talking. I'm tired. I'm going to bed… Good night, Harry…Sev…whoever you are."

"So, I take that didn't go well?" Don leaned on his elbow in bed about an hour later. "You alright, Mate?"

Sev shrugged, "I don't know, Don… I really think that I was starting to love her."

"I'm sorry." Don shrugged. "I guess it's partly my fault –I told you to pursue the whole Draco thing. I guess I thought you were serious when you said you thought you might be interested in him."

"That's the worst part, because I am. I try to tell myself that I don't like it, and that I don't him…doing any of those things to me, but it's all a lie, Don." He turned to look at his friend across the room. "I love Ginny, I really do… but, Draco is like this addiction that once you try it, you don't ever want to live without it again."

Don raised an eyebrow.

"I sound crazy, I know. I just can't help it –every time he sees me, he wants to kiss me, and touch me, and it drives me crazy with longing –and I keep trying to tell myself that _love_ Ginny, because I do –I can't imagine a life without her anymore. When I think of a future, I want her there with me."

"Sounds like you've got yourself a real problem there, huh?"

"You can say that again."

"Sounds like you've got yourself a real problem there, huh?"

"Smart ass…"

The next morning at breakfast, it was pretty obvious that Ginny wasn't speaking to Sev. However, it wasn't known to anyone but the teenagers why that was.

"Err, Ginny, could you pass the muffins?" Sev asked, having tried to avoid her. His request was answered by a blueberry muffin bouncing from his forehead into the middle of the table.

"…Thanks." He picked it up, wiping any blueberry residue from his forehead, "Looks delicious."

"Ginny!" Molly scoffed, "What's gotten into you?"

"…I have homework." She excused herself from the table, disappearing through the swinging door.

"Happy-fucking-Christmas to you too, Ginny." Don called after her.

"Don!" Molly swatted him over the back of the head as she moved around the table to refill everyone's plates. "Don't you ever use that kind of language at the table again!"

"Ow, Mum!" He clapped his hand to his head. "It's not my fault! She's been a prat all morning!"

"Even I didn't expect her to take it that badly…" Remus looked towards the still swinging kitchen door, "Err…was something _else_ mentioned?" He raised an eyebrow at Sev.

"I don't want to talk about it." Sev shook his head.

"I'm sure she'll bounce back, Sev-darling. Just give her a bit to think about it. She'll soon realize it's not such a big deal." Molly reassured him, giving him another heap of eggs and pancakes, "Eat up, you're thin as a rail!"

"Thanks." He nodded, "For the food _and_ the reassurance."

"Anytime, dear; just ask."

"Ginny…" Sev knocked softly on her door later that night. "Are you, still not speaking to me?"

"No."

"Ginny… Can _I_ talk to you then?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No, I've heard quite enough out of you."

"What can I say that will make you forgive me?"

"I don't think there is anything that you could possibly say that would make this any better."

"Just because I did that stuff…it doesn't mean I that I don't like you any less, Gin. I mean, why are you acting like this? I wouldn't be acting like this if you had…done stuff with a girl!"

"Of course not, because you're a boy! You'd be asking for details and wanting to know if you could watch!"

"I'm like that, and you know it! You're just making shit up to make me seem like the bad guy here!"

"Aren't you?" Ginny jerked her door open. "I think you are."

"I'm not. I ended it with Draco weeks ago. If anyone is blame here for anyone besides the two of us, and Don for knowing about it, it's him."

"…Don knew?!"

"That's not the point! The point is that Draco doesn't mean anything to me! He's like…fine china. He's nice to look at, but way to expensive to use all the time."

"What?"

"Or…you know how when you put food on your plate at the dinner, and it's something you get every day, so...sometimes it gets on your plate by habit, but you don't really want to eat it…"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I don't _want_ him all of the time, Ginny. He's like my…instant-gratification guy."

"And I'm not instant gratification for you? Is this because we haven't slept together?"

"No! I don't want to sleep with you!"

"Why not? What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing! That came out wrong!"

"Am I not pretty enough for you now? You couldn't imagine putting your dangly bits under my skirt?"

"Ginny, you're taking this all out of context…"

"Bugger off, you arse." She shoved him backwards, slamming her door shut again on him.


	12. The Make Up

Note: Firstly. I give up. You don't want to review, fine. Whatever. I didn't think that 5 reviews would be hard, but after 81 hits on chapter 11, and only 3 reviews on it, I see that it's just nothing something I'm going to get.

Other notes, it is eluded here that the war is obviously prominently going on around them –because it is. I choose to focus on Harry/Sev's relationships rather then his place in the ongoing war, because I'm not good at writing a lot of action-filled-suspense stuff. I'm good with warm fuzzy feelings, and all that jazz…which is funny because I'm really not a warm-and-fuzzy person. Weird! But rest assured, eventually, later (possibly 'Year Seven') this will start to wind towards and end, and I'll start mentioning more about Harry/Sev preparing for final battle, and all of that.

–Also, a small note to the person who suggested a beta reader… I am a college student. I don't have the time, nor the effort it takes to find/use a beta reader. I would _much_ rather just spend my time between school, school, and more school, writing. If you don't like it, then maybe you shouldn't read it? Also –did you even read past chapter two? I wrote that, like, three years ago. Don't judge what I wrote three years ago, when what I've written in the last week is right beside it.

To everyone else, thank you for reading –and to the 8 people who have me on their favorites…I would love to hear from you!

Harry Potter And the Great War

Chapter Twelve

"I, uh…I bought this for you." Ginny shoved a small, neatly wrapped gift into Sev's hands. "While we were still going out, and I thought you should have it –otherwise I'll just, err, give to one of my brothers or something."

"What is it?" Sev asked, carefully started peeling away the paper, to revel a rectangular jewelers box.

"Well, you'll just have to open it, won't you?" Ginny crossed her arms.

He looked up at her before opening the box to reveal a black leather banded watch with a gold face, "Ginny –it's wonderful."

"Well, I noticed you didn't have one, and I thought you might like something practical…"

"Thank you," He touched her hand. "I. uh, have something for you too." He reached into his pocket. "I wasn't sure if I should give it to you…" He pulled out a similar box to what she had handed him, "Sorry it isn't wrapped."

"That's alright." She opened the box with a crack, trying not to let any kind of emotion show over her face as she looked at the silver heart pendant on the matching chain, "It's very pretty."

"Do you like it?"

"It's very pretty." She repeated.

"That wasn't the question." Sev smiled.

"I like it." She nodded, snapping the box closed, "Thank you very much."

"Your welcome, Ginny –maybe I'll get to see you wear it sometime."

"Maybe some time." She nodded, and pushed the box into the pocket of her sweater, "Well, I still have some homework to finish. I'll see you at dinner."

"Okay." Sev nodded, watching her disappear back into the room she was sharing with Hermione across the hall. He looked back down at the watch, lifting it out of the box, brushing his thumb over the face. Was this a sign that she was starting to forgive him?

"Nice watch." Don commented, sprawling over his bed a few minutes later. "Who gave you that? You know we're not opening gifts until tonight."

"Err, Ginny gave it to me just now."

"Wow! Ginny could afford that?" Don peered over at it. "That must have cost her quite a bit of her savings!"

"Don't make me feel bad, Don. I don't want to know that she spent a lot of money on me." Sev folded the band around his wrist, clasping it shut, and extending his arm to look at it. "It is a really nice watch though isn't it?"

"Did you give her, her gift?"

Sev nodded, "I was going to give it to her tonight, but…I figure that as long as she had given me mine…" He let himself trail off.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Don asked. "Knock some sense into her?"

"No, no, Don. It's…it's alright. I'm just, I'm confused I guess. She tells me she doesn't want anything to do with me now, but…she gave me this fantastic present, and let me give her that necklace. Does she still like me or am I just making up excuses for her?"

"Don't be silly, Sev. Of course she still likes you! She's just still reeling from Hermione opening her big mouth about Draco."

"I still can't believe she did that." Sev shook his head. "And I tried to explain it all to Ginny, but I wasn't doing a very good job."

"Well obviously." Don rolled his eyes.

"Don't be such a prat, Don. I'm having a legitimate problem here, and you aren't being very supportive."

"Sorry, Mate. I'm finding it hard to be supportive of the guy who's breaking my sister's heart."

"I didn't mean to!"

"I know."

"Urgh! You are infuriating! I'm going for a stroll." Sev tossed the box the watch had come in, onto his bed, and picked up his jacket. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Are you sure you should go out on your own?"

"I doubt I'm going to get attacked by anything like this, Ronald!" Sev shrugged into his jacket. "Shove off for a bit, alright?"

Don nodded, "Alright, fine. –You know, Harry…I'd be nice to me if were you. I don't have to be going through any of this for you, you know. I can change back to being plain 'ol Ron any time I bloody want, understand?"

"Yeah, whatever." Sev brushed him off, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Where are you off to in this weather, Sev?" Remus stopped him before he could get to the front door.

"I just needed to take a bit of a walk."

"Well, you shouldn't go on your own –hold on, and I'll go with you."

"I really just…"Sev sighed, watching Remus shrug into his own coat and hat.

"Nonsense, we'll have a little chat. I can tell that you want to talk."

Sev nodded, "Fine, Remus." He ran his fingers through his hair, following the older man out the door, and down the path towards the sidewalk.

"Now what's going on?" Remus asked, shoving his hands into his pocket.

"Ginny found out about that thing with Draco. She didn't exactly take it very well, as you can imagine." Sev followed suit, shoving his hands into his pockets as well, "And now whenever she talk to me, she's all aloof, and distant about it. She just gave me my Christmas gift." He took his hand out long enough to display the watch to Remus. "I don't know if she was just being…polite, or if she's really starting to forgive me."

"Well, how much does she know about this…tryst with Malfoy?"

"All of it…bloody all of it! Once she started asking about it, I couldn't shut up! I wanted to just hit myself over the head, but I couldn't stop!"

"So…I take it there was quite a bit going on between the two of you."

"Well, sort of, Remus. We did, you know… 'stuff', but the whole business didn't last very long, and after Ginny asked me out, I told Draco it was over. He doesn't seem to understand what 'leave me the hell alone' means. Every time he sees me, he's got to touch me, or kiss me, and he always does it in the worst places! I don't think I've gotten to take an uninterrupted shower in weeks! Even the library hasn't gone untainted."

"Well, I'm afraid Severus and I never had that kind of problem."

"Well…how did you feel when you found out that he had slept with my Mum?" Sev asked. "I mean, it's sort of similar…"

"Well, I was confused, I suppose. I didn't think he had been _that_ upset with me to do something like that, but I got over it, obviously." Remus shrugged. "It…wasn't that big of a deal, at the time, because we had just found out that Lily was pregnant, and I was busy being happy for friend becoming a father… It never crossed my mind that _you_ were Severus's child, not James'."

Sev nodded, "And when you were still upset wit him –what did he do?"

"Well, he gave me some space, time to think about it. Eventually, my heart over ruled my head, and I forgave him. Don't worry, Sev. If Ginny feels the way you think she does, then, she'll forgive you too."

"I hope so." Sev shrugged. "I feel really bad, but whenever I try to explain, it seems like I just make it worse, and I can never seem to say the right thing."

"Sometimes the 'right' thing to say is to say nothing at all, Sev." Remus put an arm over his shoulder. "Now, can we go back to the house or haven't we suffered this chilling weather long enough?"

"I think I just want to walk for a bit more… You can go back if you want."

"No, no, that's alright." Remus shook his head. "You shouldn't be out on your own anyway. You never know what might happen."

"I'm really not that concerned." Sev shrugged.

"You should be, Sev. While the Order tries to keep you as informed as possible, there are still many things going on around us. This war is very much underway, and soon enough it's going to be imperative that you take a bigger responsibility. You may be our last hope."

"I understand." Sev nodded, "I really do, but…I really just want to be a teenager. Why should I have to care, Remus? I'm sixteen years old. What do I know about fighting a war?"

"You'll learn." Remus nodded. "And you'll learn quickly."

"Thanks, Remus –that makes me feel loads better."

"So, what do you think is going to happen when we get back to school?" Don asked, as the two packed together their things before the return trip to Hogwarts, "Between you, Gin, and Draco I mean."

"I don't know." Sev shrugged, closing up his bag, "I guess I can only hope that this all blows over, and she starts talking to me again."

"And Draco?"

"He can rot in hell." Sev sighed, running his hands through his hair, and turned to his friend, sitting on the edge of his bed, "Look, Ron…maybe you should go back to Gryffindor? I mean, I know what I'm doing now, and we can still be friends, obviously… I don't want to feel like I'm holding back from anything."

"What are you talking about?" Don smiled, shaking his head. "You aren't holding me back from anything, Sev."

"Don't be stupid." Sev shook his head. "I know you're not happy living this way."

"This is _my_ choice, not yours." Don shook his head. "I'm sticking by my friend, and there isn't anything you can say that will change my mind."

Sev nodded, "Alright. I just thought I'd let you know that…it's okay, if you don't want to this anymore. I wouldn't blame you for anything."

"Harry, I'm not going anywhere, alright? I promise. I am one person who is _not_ going to leave you, no matter what." Don shook his head.

"I know." Sev nodded.

"Then don't say stupid things like that." Don shook his head, zipping up his own bag. "Now c'mon, or we're going to be late for the train."

"Now you're all sure you have everything?" Molly was seeing everyone off at the train station, Ginny holding Sev's hand so that it wouldn't look odd that they were all together.

"Yes, Mum, we're fine." Ginny sighed. "Please, can we just get on the train now?"

"Yes, yes…of course." Molly nodded. "Have a good second term, darling." She kissed Ginny on the forehead, and spoke to the boys, "Take good care of her, alright?"

"We will, Mu-Molly." Don nodded.

"Good." She nodded, "Now get going! That's the last whistle!" She shoo'd them towards the train.

Ginny sighed, still tugging Sev along behind her, "C'mon, I suppose we had better sit together. We'll have to break up publicly after school starts up."

"Ginny…" Sev sighed.

"C'mon, lets get one all together." Hermione tugged on Don.

"Um, Herm, I think we should leave them alone for a bit." Don whispered. "Lets go sit with Neville, and Luna, and them."

Hermione nodded, "Alright…uh, we'll join you guys later?"

"Sure." Ginny nodded, ducking into an empty compartment with Sev.

"Ginny, we don't have to sit together." Sev sat across from her rather then beside her.

"It's fine." Ginny shrugged.

"Are you going to be mad at me for ever?"

"Maybe." She shrugged, pulling a book out of her bag, "Now be quiet, I have some reading to do."

Sev nodded, "Fine."

The two were quiet for a few minutes, the train clanking from the station, putting them underway, back towards Hogwarts. Both of them looked up when a throat cleared in the doorway, "Well, look who we have here."

"Draco…what are you doing here? I thought you stayed at school." Sev stood up, surprised.

"Well, there was a little change of plan. I just managed to catch the train home, and decided not to tell you so I could surprise you. You are surprised, aren't you?"

Sev glanced at Ginny, who was trying to look immersed in her book, but color was flooding up her cheeks, "You should go, Draco."

"Why? Don't want me to talk to you and your little girlfriend, Sev?" Draco tilted his head to the side. "I thought we were friends…silly me."

"Go away, Draco."

"Did something happen?" Draco asked, stepping inside of the compartment, and sliding the door closed behind him, "Let me guess…" He looked over Sev's shoulder, "You found out about our little tryst, huh, Gin-gin?"

Ginny looked up, her face quite red now, "Go to hell, Malfoy."

"Ooh, big words for just such a little Weasel." Draco crossed his arms, and looked up to Sev, "So, did you tell her? Or did someone else?"

"Bugger off!" Sev hissed.

"Why? She knows now, doesn't she? We don't have to hide anymore…this is great." Draco grinned maliciously, "Isn't it, Sev? I can have my wicked way with you whenever I want, now. It's obviously over between the two of you. I love your little charade though."

"Don't be stupid!" Ginny dropped her book onto the seat next to her, shoving Sev out of her way, "Just because he did stuff with you doesn't mean that I broke up with him!" She tossed her hair over her shoulder in a defiant way, "I happen to love Sev just as much as I did _before_ I found out about the two of you. If anything is over, Draco Malfoy, it is this conversation! I suggest you go find your own compartment. You certainly aren't welcome here, or even remotely near my boyfriend. Understand, you twitchy little ferret?"

Draco nodded, with a slight sniff, "Yea, I understand. And I believe it when I see it. No girl, under any circumstances could accept something like that."

"Believe it, Draco. I'm not like other girls." Ginny shook her head, taking Sev's hand. "Now leave."

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, I don't believe it, so I think I'll stay right here, thanks."

"Fine, then I guess you'll have to find out why our other friends won't sit with us." Ginny pulled Sev's arms around her waist, looping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, kissing him. Sev couldn't help but raise his eyebrow, surprised that she would go through all of this trouble, but slightly comforted by it as well, letting his eyes close, kissing her back.

"Ugh…" Draco scoffed. "You two are disgusting!"

Ginny broke their kiss to look over her shoulder, "Do you believe now, Draco?"

"I think I'm going to be sick." Draco put a hand to his stomach, pushing open the compartment door, to stumble out, letting it slid back closed behind him.

Ginny turned back to Sev, her lips pressed tightly together, "I, uh, I'm sorry."

"Did you mean it?" Sev asked, tightening his grip around her waist, not wanting to let her go, "Do you still love me as much as you did before?"

"More." She nodded, and laid her head against his chest, "I'm sorry…I was going to make up with you after we got back to school –I just wanted to make you feel bad for a little while longer, but then Draco had to show up." She sighed, looking up at him. "It's _really_ over between the two of you?"

"Completely." Sev nodded. "He won't leave me alone, Ginny. I don't…I'm not antagonizing him, I guarantee it."

"I believe you." She brushed his hair off of his forehead.

"I'm trying to get away from him, Gin, but nothing works. He's like…obsessed."

"I could tell." She nodded, her hands sliding down his shoulders. "So, uh…I'm really sorry I spent all of vacation being mad at you. I had kind of been hoping that…vacation would be a good time to…um, you know… Get to know each other better." She winked.

Sev raised an eyebrow, "Are you…serious? We've only been dating for two months."

Ginny shrugged, "Well, I know girls who've been dating a lot less longer then us, who've…you know."

"Really?" He held her a bit away, "Like who?"

"I'm not telling!"

"Oh, why not; I'm not going to say anything! –Oh, what about Hermione?"

"Sev!" She swatted his arm, "C'mon! She's one of your best friends!"

"She has, hasn't she!"

"She wouldn't tell me if she had!" Ginny shook her head.

"Who?"

"Stop it! We're not talking about this anymore…c'mon, let me go." She reached for his hands.

"Oh, we are _so_ talking about this!" Sev pulled her closer, "Was it someone in Gryffindor?"

"Sev…"

"Hmm…Dean?"

"No!"

"Seamus?"

"Oh, come on…"

"Neville?"

"Oh, Severus, that's just cruel!"

"Was it Ron?" Sev pressed his forehead to Ginny's, "But he'd tell me, wouldn't he? …Right? But when would they have –did they do it over vacation? Where?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed, "Sev…"

"Alright, alright, I'm stopping." He nodded, kissing her, "I'm glad you're not mad at me anymore. Maybe in the spring, we can have some time alone, if you want."

Ginny nodded, "Maybe…I'm not sure if I even want to sleep with you anymore, Sev. You've lied to me."

"Hmm…yes, I've been very naughty." He smiled.

"Don't be disgusting, what do you think this is? A muggle romance novel?"

"Err, I thought girls liked it when boys talked like that?"

"It doesn't suit you at all…maybe you should just stick to kissing?" Ginny suggested.

"I think I can handle that." Sev nodded.


	13. The Deal Breaker Edited

A/N: …Damn my teeth hurt. But you don't really care about that. Enjoy the chapter –and eat lots of candy canes to get into the holiday spirit!! --And after reading my latest review (as of 8:31, Standard Central time), I only have this to say, "Aww…I LOVE Harry/Ginny!" –and I say that after listening to Wizard Rock songs endlessly for two days… Also, I changed the character listings so this will be found under Harry/Ginny rather then Harry/Draco… That may change again in the future because I don't know what I'm doing...oh wells! –Also, the 'adult' version of this chapter can be found on my Yahoo!Group –which you must be 18 join (see my profile, if you'd like to read it)

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Thirteen

"Oh, so you've made up, eh?" Don leaned in the doorway of the compartment, the train barreling towards Hogwarts still a ways off from its destination. "That's nice to see."

Ginny smiled, her head laying against Sev's chest, "Yea, we did. Draco pissed me off, and I couldn't pretend about it anymore."

"Well, I can't say that I'm not pleased." Don sat down across from the two lovebirds, making himself comfortable. "I wish this train could go faster. I'm really bloody bored."

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"She's talking to Luna Lovegood and Neville, of all people!" Don rolled his eyes. "Something about spew –I left after she started ranting about yearly salaries."

Sev shook his head, "Will she ever learn?"

"This is Hermione we're talking about –of course she won't." Ginny shook her head.

"…So, er…Draco showed up?"

"You could so that." Sev shrugged. "But I don't think he'll be bothering us anymore."

"I thought he stayed at school over the break?" Ron looked confused.

"Well, I did too. I guess his plans changed." Sev shrugged. "Lets not talk about Draco, okay?" He looked down at Ginny, brushing her hair back from her face. "I think everyone has had enough of him to last quite a while."

"I'll second that." Ginny nodded, tightening her arms around his waist, and looking up at him, "But…I will say this –I still don't understand what exactly you…you know, see in him."

"Not right now, Gin." Sev shook his head. "I'll try and explain it all later, if you really want an answer."

"Awww…" Don coo'd, "You two are _so_ adorable." He scoffed, "It's enough to make me sick… Move over." He stood up, pushing the two of them apart. "This is disgusting –the two of you, all over each other."

Ginny laughed, moving over to let her brother sit between them, "Oh, c'mon Don! You're secretly glad we're going out, aren't you?"

"I severely doubt that." Don crossed his arms, "You had better just be glad I'm not _her_ brother, or I might be a bit over protective… Don't forget I know where you sleep, Sev." He stared at him pointedly, "I wasn't going to mention any of this over vacation, but as I'm sure Ginny's Mum will be mentioning her new boyfriend to the rest of her brother's… You'd best shape up."

"Oh yes, Sev. My brother's are rather over protective." Ginny leaned on Don's shoulder, "Disturbingly so –however, I think they ought to cool their tempers, because if they'll remember…they like my boyfriend…alright, Donte?"

"Fine, fine." Don nodded. "But I'm still not moving so the two of you can make out."

"Hey! I left when you and Hermione wanted—err…I think I'm going to go chat with my friends." Ginny stood, "Talk you guys later." She gave them a cheery smile, and stepped outside of compartment to disappear down the train.

"What was that about?" Sev asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nothing…" Ron shrugged.

"I _thought_ Ginny was hiding something after we made up earlier… So, what happened?" He prodded Don in the side, "C'mon! Did you really sleep with Hermione!"

"No!" Don prodded back, "We asked Ginny to leave a couple of times so we could study."

"Uh huh –study and snog!"

"Don't be stupid." Don crossed his arms. "Why would Hermione want to snog with _me_?"

Sev raised an eyebrow, "Why wouldn't she? Ginny still wants to snog me."

"I'm hardly attractive like this, Sev." Don ran his fingers through his hair, and shook his head. "Hell, she's almost taller then me like this."

"I told you that you didn't have to…" Sev sighed, and shook his head. "Never mind mate; I can see I will never talk any sense into you."

"You've got that right –you're stuck with me, no matter what."

Don and Harry went right back to the dormitory after the return to Hogwarts, everyone in a buzz to be back at school. They had just started to unpack again when Draco strolled in, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking like the King of Hogwarts.

"Welcome back, boys. –Don, I don't suppose I could have a private word with your brother?"

"Err…" Don looked at Sev with a shrug, "Well, I guess I could go…do something."

"Go ahead." Sev nodded, waiting until Don had scampered from the room before crossing his arms to face Draco, "What do you want this time?"

Draco shook his head, pulling his hands out of his pockets, "I really thought we, uh, had something, Sev."

"Did you know?"

"Yea, and I can't believe that you would just let a stupid weasel between the two of us."

"Don't call Ginny names. She hasn't done anything to you. If you're going to be angry at anyone, be angry at me, but leave her out of this."

"Why would you do this, Sev? I mean, we spent the first few weeks of school, just…catching each other's eye, and then when we finally did…we had fun, didn't we?"

"We did." Sev nodded, "I had fun, Draco, but I don't realized that I wasn't looking for that kind of 'fun'. I love Ginny, and you just need to accept that."

"I can't." Draco took a step forward, putting his hands on Sev's shoulders, pushing him back against the corner post of his bed, his forehead pressed against the other boy's, "I don't want to."

"You have to." Sev pushed his hands between the two of them, trying to push Draco away, but to no avail.

"I won't." Draco's hands un-tucked Sev's shirt, roughly shoving his hands up across Sev's chest, his lips pressing frenzied kisses across Sev's face, and throat, "You can't make me."

"Draco…" Sev bit his tongue, grabbing Draco's wrist, pushing him farther away, stepping away, "Stop. I made a promise to Ginny that it was over between us, so it is. I will not make a liar of myself to her."

"Sev…You don't understand; vacation was hell for me. All I looked forward to, the whole time, I was coming back to school and being with you."

"I don't know what to tell you, Draco." Sev stepped further away as Draco advanced again. "You can't do these things anymore; the kissing, the touching."

"Why not; I know you like it as much as I do…don't you? You can't hide that from me, or from anyone." Draco reached out, pulling Sev towards him, pushing him back onto his bed, kneeling over him, "I can tell what you like, Sev. How can you say no to me?"

"It's easier then you think." Sev was trying to keep his words together, not letting them break apart with gasps, or groans, "Stop it."

Draco didn't reply, kissing him forcefully, his hands clenching fistfuls of Sev's hair, tilting his head back to expose his throat.

"Draco…" Sev couldn't quite find a suitable place to put his hands, to maneuver the blonde off of him. "I told you stop!"

Draco's body slid further down his hands sliding down Sev's face, stopping when Sev clenched his hands around his wrists. He looked up, when he was stopped, his tongue lapping against his stomach, "C'mon, Sev…just a chance? If I can't convince you after this that…we're…something, I'll never bother you ever again."

"No." Sev insisted.

"Then, I guess you leave me no choice…"

"Sev…" Don knocked on the bedpost before pushing back the curtain, "Oh my god…Sev?"

"Go away, Don." Sev had his covered pull just over his midsection, his ripped shirt tossed at the end of the bed by the rest of his clothes, little bite marks, and scratches covering most of his body. "Please."

"What happened to you? Did…did Draco do this?"

"Go _away_, Don."

"No! What happened to you?"

Sev brushed his finger tips over his forehead, "You have to promise that you won't tell Ginny, Don. I don't want her to know about this…and worry about it."

"What do you mean?"

"After you left, um…" Sev took a breath, sitting up in his bed, "Draco…didn't just want to talk, I guess."

"Sev…"

"Don't make me say it, Don. Please."

"I can't believe he'd do that…"

Sev nodded, pulling his knees to his chest, and wrapping his arms around them, "…I don't know what I should do. I mean, should I report this? Should I just, you know, let it go?"

"Sev, this is…really serious. I mean, Draco could get kicked out of school for this."

"I know…" Sev nodded, licking his lips. "I mean, I should report this…this isn't acceptable at all, but if I do, then everyone is going to know…and Ginny –what would Ginny think? I mean, I _promised_ her that nothing was going on between us anymore…"

"This obviously wasn't you fault, Sev. Did you, you know, tell him to stop?"

"Of course I did! It seemed like…every thing that came out of my mouth, I was telling him to stop."

"Then, this isn't your fault."

"I just…I really want to take a shower. I feel..." Sev swallowed, brushing his hair out of his eyes again, "I feel really dirty right now."

"Do you…need some help?"

"No." Sev shook his head, pulling the blanket closer around him.

"You sure?"

"Yea." Sev nodded, moving off of the bed, picking up some of his clothes, making his way back towards the bathroom.

"I think, I'm going to go have a word with—."

"Don, please. Don't…" Sev shook his head. "I just –it'll be fine. It really can't get much worse then this, can it?"

"You might be surprised."

"Don, I'm asking you as your brother and your best friend. Please, do not get into this, alright? It's going to be fine. I'm not broken, okay?"

"You sure you don't want me to hit him? It would be really fun."

"No." Sev smiled, shaking his head. "I'd like to that myself."

"Alright, I won't say anything." Don agreed.

"…What time is it?"

"It's not quite eight yet."

"Oh." He nodded, "Well…I better get a shower and off to bed then, huh? Class tomorrow and all."

"You're sure you're all right?"

"Postive." Sev smiled half-heartedly. "See? All is right in the world."

Don nodded, "Alright. Whatever you say, Mate."

"What's the matter, Sev?" Ginny asked, putting a hand on top of his while they studied in a quiet corner of an unused classroom the next afternoon. "You've been quiet all day…"

"It's nothing." Sev shrugged, "Don't worry about it."

"Did something happen?" She asked. "Did Draco say something to you after we got back?"

"I said don't worry, Gin."

"Sev…"

"Gin…please." He sighed, closing his eyes, and pressing his fingertips to his forehead.

"You know, if you don't tell me, I know who will…"

"Don isn't going to tell a thing, because nothing happened."

"And if I went to Draco?" She asked, defiantly.

"I doubt he would tell you anything, very much."

"Sev, why don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Gin." Sev shook his head. "I'm just tired. I didn't sleep very well last night.

"Well then, why don't we call it an afternoon, and you can go rest for a bit before dinner?"

"Naps for old ladies, Gin." Sev shook his head, and kissed her softly. "But if you want to call it an afternoon, that's fine."

"Sev, if something happened between you and Draco, you'd tell me, right?"

"No." Sev shook his head. "Because I wouldn't want you to worry about nothing."

Ginny sighed, "That's it… I'm talking to Don." She got up from her chair, and shoving her books into her bag.

"Ginny, c'mon…"

"No, I'm tired of you keeping things from me. If I have to go to him, then…I guess that's what I have to do."

"Ginny…I'm trying to protect you."

"I'm sick of being protected."

"Look… Alright, I'll you what happened, but I don't want you to say anything, to anyone."

Ginny nodded, "Of course not."

"Last night, Don left the two of us alone. We were talking, and…he started making advances on me, and I told him to stop… I thought he had, but… he didn't."

"What do you mean?"

Sev licked his lips, not able to make eye contact wit her, "Gin…I'm going to ask you…don't make me say it out loud. If I don't say it out loud, I can… you know, pretend it didn't happen."

"Sev…" Ginny reached for him, "Are you saying that…Draco forced you?"

"I don't want you to say either, Gin."

"He raped you?"

Sev averted his eyes, not agreeing, but not denying the fact either.

"Sev, you can't just ignore this. You have to tell someone."

"No." He looked up. "I want to just forget it."

"No! This gone way to far! You can't ignore this. I won't let you." Ginny shook her head.

"Ginny, it's over… He's not going to bother us anymore."

"How can you be so sure Sev? He could do this to you any time he wants now?"

"He won't. It's over. I just want to be with you now, alright?"

Ginny sighed, kneeling down onto the floor beside his chair, "You shouldn't just let this go."

"I know that." He nodded. "Just, let me deal with this in my own way."

Ginny bit her lip and nodded, "Fine, but you have to promise me that if something like this happens again, that you're going to tell someone."

He nodded, "I promise."

"Good." She nodded, standing and pulling him with her. "But…maybe you should talk to your Dad? Or Remus… Someone."

"What would I say, Gin? Oh, hey Dad…you remember when I told you that I might have feelings for Draco, and then it turned out I didn't, and I started dating Ginny…well, turns out that Draco didn't really like that, and took advantage of me against my will…what do you think about that?"

"Don't be sarcastic. He might…know a way to make you feel better. You seem all…broken inside. I don't want a broken boyfriend, Sev."

"I'm sorry," He smiled, "but really, I'm fine. I just need a little time."

"Okay." Ginny nodded, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "But please…talk to someone besides me and Don, okay?"

Sev nodded, "Alright, I will, for you."

"Thank you." She pressed a short kiss to his lips, and then took a step back, "So, did that bastard hurt you? Do need to castrate him for you?"

Sev laughed, putting his arm around her shoulder, "Ginny…I really couldn't ask for a better girlfriend, could I?"

"Not in a million years would you get someone as good as me, so you better take good care of me." She grinned, putting an arm around his waist as they exited the class room for an unknown destination.


	14. The Talk

A/N: Hrm…Excellent question, Potter's Wifey… There is a reason for me not letting Harry tell Severus about the whole incident –besides the fact that I don't really plan these things out, it just kinda developed when I was writing it at one in the morning. But he will tell someone, I promise –and hopefully further supply an answer to your question. –And Egad! I'm already at Chapter Fourteen! –This is all I'm probably going to write today. Wish me luck on my finals. I am totally going to bomb my Math 118. Stupid Statistics… Have a nice Sunday night everyone.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Fourteen

"Eh-hem…" Severus picked up Sev's text book. "Are we going to start paying attention in the next thirty seconds, son, or should I just ask you to leave now?" He dropped Sev's book back, loudly, onto the desk.

"Hmm?" Sev looked up, "I'm sorry…I must have spaced out."

"Obviously."

"I'll, uh, get to work right now." Sev nodded, picking up his quill, and pulling a piece of parchment in front of him. "See, hard at work."

Severus nodded, and made his way back towards the head of the class to continue his lecture.

Don leaned over, to whisper, "Are you going to tell him about yesterday?"

"No." Sev whispered back.

"You've got to tell someone."

"I know, Don, and I will. I, er…I was going to write Remus."

"Why? Your _Dad_ is right there."

"Be quiet before he gives us detention." Sev kicked him, "Now take notes, so I can write."

Don nodded, rolling his eyes, "Fine." And he turned his attention back to the head of the class.

_Remus,_

_Something happened when I got back to school that I don't think I can talk to my Dad about. I'd really like to tell you in person, but first I want you to promise me that you aren't going to tell him about it. I don't think he would understand why I waited to tell him, and in the long run, I would worry about his reaction. I don't want anything to happen to the other party involved. _

_Please respond as quickly as possibly. _

_Sev_

"Err, what are you doing here?" Sev had been surprised when a hand pulled him into an unused classroom between classes, even more surprised when it turned out the hand belonged to Remus.

"I got your letter this morning. I got here as soon as I could."

"You could have just written back first… I'm going to be late for my next class."

"Don't worry about it –I told the Professor Dumbledore the two of us were going to have a chat, so he got you excused."

"Err…okay then."

"Look, why don't you just tell me what happened?"

"First you have to promise not to tell my Dad."

Remus nodded, taking a seat, "I promise."

Sev took a seat across from him, setting his bag off to the side, "When we got back from school, Draco got…really angry with me, I guess –because of this whole thing with Ginny."

"Did he hit you?"

"I wish. If he had hit me, I might have just been able to let this go…" Sev looked way, staring at the dusting cabinet in one of the corners.

"Okay." Remus nodded. "So, what did happen."

"Well, err, I guess he started trying to push me into doing…stuff with him, but I told him I didn't want to." Sev stopped, biting his lip, "I thought had stopped, when he got off of me, but…he wasn't finished yet."

Remus tilted his head to the side, "What _happened?"_

Sev began to fidget, brushing his hair away from his face, tapping his foot, and biting his tongue, "Um, well…"

"Sev, if you can't say it then you're denying it, and denial is never the answer you're looking for." Remus reached out to touch his hand.

"Draco…forced me, to do something that I didn't want to do with him."

"Why would he do something like that?"

"I don't know. I can't exactly read Draco's mind, Remus." Sev shrugged.

"I can't believe he would go that far… Not that I'm saying I don't believe you, Sev." Remus shook his head. "I guess I'm just can't picture Draco, even being the person he is, doing something like that."

"I wish I could say I understood it all. The whole time I was telling him to stop, and he wouldn't."

"I know this is probably a silly question, but are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine." Sev shrugged. "Ginny and Don keep pushing me to tell someone, and I thought I might as well tell you."

"Why me and not your dad, Sev?"

"I trust you." Sev shrugged. "I guess, I just feel closer to you then to my…Dad." He looked up, "I never had a Dad before, Remus. I don't know what he'd do –to me, to Draco. I just want to kind of, you know, forget about this."

"I know that Severus might not seem like…the best father figure right now, but he really does care about you. He always has, Sev. As much as he hates to admit it…he's liked you just because you were Lily's child. She meant a lot to him. He never wanted to see you hurt. I think keeping something this phenomenal away from him, would just come back to bite you in the arse later."

"What would happen…if I did tell him, I mean as a Professor he'd have to tell the Headmaster right? What would happen to Draco?"

"Well, I suppose he could be suspended…or expelled."

"This wasn't all Draco's fault. I mean, I was…I was teasing him, before. I lead him along. This isn't just his fault."

"Sev, there is a pretty big line between teasing a man, and molesting one. Draco crossed a line, and you can't let him go unpunished."

Sev nodded, "I know that, but…telling my Dad would mean that everyone would know. This…it's embarrassing."

"Why is it embarrassing, Sev?"

"Well…I'm a guy, right. I should be able to, you know, take care of myself. I'm bigger…stronger then he is."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed…you're not the first person this has ever happened to." Remus shook his head, standing, put a hand on Sev's shoulder. "I want you to tell your Dad…when you're ready. Until then, deal with this your own way. Okay? And if you need to talk, you know how to get a hold of me."

Sev nodded, "Thanks, Remus."

"Sure." Remus nodded. "Now, you had better be getting off to class…I think I've pulled you out for long enough."

"Remus, what are you doing here?" Severus was surprised to find Remus sitting in his chair at his desk, when he made a quick stop in his office before class started.

"I came to have a chat with Sev –but I couldn't go without at least saying hello."

"You didn't have to do that –I only left you two days ago."

"Two long, long days ago, Sevvie." Remus leaned back in the chair, "I suppose you have a class, don't you?"

"I do." Severus nodded.

"What would happen if you just…skipped it."

"I can't do that!" Severus rolled his eyes. "But if you want to stay around here…I'll only be an hour."

"Hmm…I'd love to, but I should be getting back." Remus stood up, moving around the desk to press a kiss to his lips. "I think you should talk to your son."

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Sevvie…sometimes you need to talk to your kids, even nothing seems to be going on. But, when you do talk to him, remember that…he's just a kid, who hasn't had a Dad before, and…he doesn't want to believe that you care about him."

"What's going on, Remus?"

"I promised I wouldn't say anything… so you'll have to get him to trust you, on your own." Remus kissed him again. " I get to get going. I'll see you in a few weeks."

Severus nodded, "Alright…I'll, see you in a couple weeks." After Remus had excited the office, he glanced at his clock, cursing for a second before grabbing the things he needed and making his way out of his office without what he had come for.

"You look relaxed." Ginny grabbed Sev's hand as they sat together at the Slytherin table for dinner that night.

"I talked to Remus. He…listened. I feel a lot of better." He assured her.

"Really? You're sure?"

"Positive." He gave her a quick kiss, "I've never felt better."

"…And, Draco hasn't…done anything since then?"

"No. I haven't even seen him, except in class, and he wouldn't dare try to pull something then."

"I still want to hit him…I think he'd look real pretty all bloodied up."

"Mm…I like it when you're violent." Sev smiled, "Draco will get what is coming to him, I promise."

"Oh?"

"I'm sure think of a suitable punishment for him on the Quidditch pitch next week…"

"I am a very good seeker… Shall I push him off his broom? I'm sure I wouldn't get much more then a technical foul…"

"Gin…"

"Alright, fine. I'll win, for you." She kissed him, "And I'll show him who you _really_ belong to."

"I don't doubt that for a second."

"So, what did Remus tell you?"

"Just to deal with it in my own way, Gin, so lets just…let it go, okay?"

Ginny sighed, "I still think you should tell Professor Snape. Draco shouldn't go unpunished for this."

"He won't." Sev assured her.

Ginny bit her tongue, and sighed, "Alright. I see that I won't be able to talk you into anything."

"What are we doing?" Don asked, sliding in on the other side of Sev, "Ooh, pass the potatoes, Sev?"

"Nothing." Ginny shook her head. "Where've you been? Dinner started fifteen minutes ago."

"Oh, Hermione and I were studying in the, uh, library."

"Sure you were." Ginny nodded. "Your friend is having a horrifying problem, and you're off have relations with a girl!"

"I was not! Why do you people think things like this?" Don shook his head. "Can I eat dinner without the subject of sex coming up?"

A few eyes turned on them, and Don's face turned bright red, his eyes turning down towards his plate, now piled with food, "Ugh…me and my big mouth."

Ginny and Sev laughed, Sev prodding him in the side, "You were asking for it, mate. We're just joking with you."

"Well, it's not funny is it?" Don shook his head. "You've gotten more action then I ever have."

"Aw, Don…what's the matter? Doesn't Hermione like you?" Ginny leaned forward to look at him.

"Hermione likes me just fine, Gin. Thanks for you concern...can I eat in peace, or are you two going to keep prattling on about this?"

Sev and Ginny looked at each other and shrugged.

"I suppose we can let you eat." Sev turned back to him, "Enjoy your meal."

"Hey! Where're you two going?"

"We've got a date." Sev clapped him on the shoulder. "See you later."

"Hmm…I always thought we'd use this room again, but I didn't think it would be for this purpose…" Ginny had made her self comfortable on a couch, provided by the Room of Requirement.

"Oh? What did you think we'd be using it for?"

"I guess I kind of hoped we'd be using it for Dumbledore Army lessons again. I still have my coin, you know."

"Hmm." Sev nodded. "I think a lot of people miss that, but…obviously; I don't think it would be appropriate"

Ginny nodded, "So, when is Harry coming back?"

Sev shrugged, "I don't know, Gin. Do you want Harry to come back?"

"I don't know. I mean, I like you. You're still the same person on the inside."

"What's really bothering you, Gin?"

"I don't know. I guess, I worry that I won't love you the same when you're back to being…regular Harry Potter."

"Are you saying you like Sev Snape?"

"I like you both."

"Then I guess its' good that we're the same person."

"No you're not." Ginny shook her head, pulling Sev down onto the couch next to her, "Harry Potter didn't kiss Draco Malfoy. He wasn't assaulted."

"Ginny, it wasn't exactly my choice that Draco did that. Does it…bother you?"

"Well of course it does! My boyfriend has had more sex in the last week then I've had in my entire life –and it wasn't with me! Draco might as well have just ripped my heart out. It would have been a little less painful.

"I'm sorry, Gin." Sev brushed her hair back from her face. "This must be harder on you then…it is on me."

"And I don't get that. How can you be so fucking calm? How can you just deny this whole thing happening?"

"I'm not denying anything." He shook his head. "It happened. Draco raped me, and I'm living to see another day. He's not going to touch me ever again –he won't even look at me. He's completely ashamed."

"He should be."

"The knowledge of what he did is ripping him up more then any punishment the school could ever give him would. And besides…I can forgive him. He's frustrated; I wasn't being fair to either of you."

"I'm glad you think so." Ginny nodded. "And as for him being frustrated…don't give him excuses."

"Ginny…" Sev sighed, breathing in the scent of her hair, pressing a kiss just below her ear. "Why can't you ever just let me do things my way?"

"I'm trying, but when it conflicts with _my_ way…" She let herself trail off.

"Hmm…lets talk about something else, okay? Or not at all…"

"Just one more question." Ginny coaxed. "Please? One more, and then I'll never bring up Draco Malfoy _ever_ again."

Sev look a deep breath before nodding. "Alright, last one."

"…Did you like it? I mean, were you turned on?"

"Ginny, what kind of question is that?"

"I think it's a legitimate question."

"Being raped did not turn me on, Ginny." Sev shook his head. "Did I_ get_ turned on, of course I did. Who wouldn't get turned on with a mouth…never mind, Gin. You shouldn't… You don't need to know about that."

"I don't know if I should be repulsed or relieved with that answer."

"Well, what did you want out of that answer?" Sev asked.

"I don't know. I guess…I was hoping to understand you better."

"Some things are better left unsaid, Gin. Can we leave this alone now?"

Ginny thought for a moment before nodding, "Yes. Alright, we don't have to talk about this anymore."

"Good." Sev sighed, pulling her into his arms, "Because I'm sick of reliving the whole ordeal…I just want to kiss my _girlfriend_ and forget that Draco Malfoy even exists."


	15. The Proposition

A/N: Eeeh… Studying for my final lasted like…fifteen minutes. Oh well! –Oh, and this chapter rubbish. I'm sorry.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Fifteen

"So, Remus said I should have a chat with you." Severus sat behind his desk looking intimidating, Sev on the other side leaned back in his chair.

Sev shrugged, "About what."

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me. I'm assuming you have some kind of idea though…what this is all about."

"Uh, well, not really." Sev shrugged.

"What did he talk to you about, when he was here last week."

"It was personal."

"I'm your father –you can talk to my lover, and not to me?"

Sev shrugged, "It wasn't anything against you. I just thought I could trust him to…talk about some stuff."

Severus tilted his head slightly to the side, "Like what?"

"Look, I've already put all if it behind me, okay? Ginny and I are past it, and I just want to forget about it. So, could you…stop pressuring me?"

"Remus told me you didn't want to tell me."

"And I'll tell you about it when I'm ready, okay? So just…lay off, Dad."

Severus nodded, "Fine…fine. I didn't just ask you down here about that. Professor Dumbledore wants you to start taking private lessons with Professor Shacklebolt."

"Kingsly?"

"Yes. Nymphadora will be helping as well. You are to meet them here…" He wrote down the location of the classroom on a spare bit of parchment, along with the time, "Every Tuesday and Thursday. If there are any changes, one of us will tell you. Do you understand?"

"And our Occlumency lessons?"

"Consider them over… Remember to practice. Don't go to sleep with your mind open for prying eyes." Severus warned. "I have…faith in you, Sev."

"Err…thanks. And these lessons with Professor Shacklebolt and Tonks; what are these about?"

"They're going to start teaching you how to defend yourself when the time comes for you to fight. Unfortunately, this isn't a war of minds, Sev. You'll need to know how to fight back the dark Lord beckons."

"And…when will that be? The big fight, I mean."

Severus shrugged, "That's the problem, son. No one knows. It could be tomorrow…next month…even a year from now. We just hope you have enough time."

Sev nodded, taking the piece of parchment from the desk, "Okay…well, uh…I guess I'll see you in class then."

"Alright. Goodnight."

--

Sev had crawled into bed earlier –part of his plan to avoid another encounter with Draco. So far, they had managed to only pass each other in the hall, and otherwise avoid each other's completely existence. Tonight however, it seemed that Draco wasn't going to pretend anymore.

"Hey, are you asleep?" Draco knocked on his bed post.

Sev didn't answer, the words 'go away, go away, go away' repeating over and over in his head.

"Look, I know you're there…and I know you're probably not asleep… If I move this curtain, am I'm going to get a jolt?" Draco tentively poked the curtain for a moment, testing whether or not any hex or jinx had been put up on it before pushing it open, "Can I talk to you?"

"No. Please go away. I have a big day tomorrow."

"I want to apologize. I feel really bad…for what I did. I'm sorry. I hope that you can, you know, forgive me."

"Done, now please go."

"Not until you say it and mean it." Draco sat down on the edge of the bed, putting his head in his hands. "I've thought about all of this for days since it happened…and I was really scared, Sev. What stopped you from telling your Dad? I mean, you could have gotten me kicked out of school for what I did to you…but, you didn't."

"I didn't want you to get into trouble."

"Why? If I had been you…I would have been…so scared, but you just…you took it. I left you as bloody and broken as I could stand."

"I was scared, Draco." Sev sat up in his bed, "You've got no idea how that feels. I asked you to _stop_ and you didn't. I don't understand what I could have possibly done to…to make you do that to me. I thought that you liked me."

"I do. I love you, and I thought I could…force you to love me too."

"Draco, you don't love me." Sev shook his head.

"Yes, I do." Draco insisted, turning on the bed. "All I think about is you, all day. What you're doing…what you taste like, how smooth your skin is…except your hands. Your hands always feel kind of rough." Draco took Sev's hand in one of his. "I spend all of my time memorizing your body…"

"That's really creepy, Draco."

"Yea, I guess it is."

"I'm really sorry that, you know, you feel that way. I don't…know what to do for you. I really, I don't love you, Draco. I'm not denying that, I had feelings for you for awhile, but…I don't anymore."

"How can you just change your mind like that?"

"Because I found a woman that I love more, Draco."

"Then you still have feelings for me?"

"Is that what you want to hear me say, Draco?"

"It would give me hope."

"And that's the last thing I want to do."

"You do still think about me, don't you?"

"I do." Sev agreed, pulling his hand away from Draco.

"Sev," Draco pushed him back into his pillows, and laying down beside him.

"Draco, don't do this again."

"I'm not going to do anything; I swear…I want you to be the one to instigate this –whatever happens."

"I'm not doing anything to you, Draco."

"You aren't yet." Draco shrugged. "But I don't think you can resist me."

"I can resist you just fine. Get out of my bed.

"You smell really good." Draco ignored him. "The other night, when I bit you… did it hurt? I didn't leave any marks, did I?"

"I'm fine." Sev insisted.

"I'm also really sorry if I made you bleed to much. I tried to stop, but once I started, I just couldn't stop. You felt so good…"

"Jeez, Draco, could you be any more…"

"I know this is probably going to sound really sick, Sev, but having sex with you so amazing. You were just, under me, whispering to me to stop while you were moaning…"

"Shut up."

"I can't stop talking. If I stop talking, I can't be held responsible for my actions."

"Shut up." Sev repeated, his thumb stroking across Draco's cheek, "Stop talking. Don't make a sound." His lips pressed softly against the other boys for a moment, then a second kiss on top of the first, this time longer, savoring it, a third to Draco's throat, a fourth under his ear. "Fuck, Draco…why do you have to do this? Why can't you just be that obnoxious kid I met in Madam Menkins?"

"Am I supposed to answer that?"

"Don't." Sev shook his head, his fingers unbuttoning Draco's shirt to push it back past his shoulders, pressing his lips against his pale chest.

"You can't help yourself, can you?"

"Draco…" Sev's hands went to Draco's face, pushing his hair back off of his forehead. "I have a girlfriend."

"So you keep telling me."

"And I love her."

"So you keep telling me."

"But I can't stop thinking about you either."

"That's new."

"I want you, Draco. I won't lie."

"I am more then a willing party."

"But I made a promise…" Sev rested his forehead against Draco's, his eyes closing, "I made a promise that I wouldn't do this anymore, so I'm not going to."

"But…"

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. And I'm not going to _ask_ you again. So…please, Draco. Get out of my bed, and leave me alone." He sat back up, giving Draco plenty of room.

Draco continued to lay there for a moment, before nodding, "Right…I get it." He sat up, sitting on the edge of the bed again, taking an extra moment before standing. "I'll just, go. I won't, um, bother you anymore."

"Thank you."

Draco started to step towards his bed, before stopping, and turning back, kneeling down on the bed to take Sev's face into his hands, capturing his mouth against his own. When he finally broke free, he licked his lips, shaking his head, "I just wanted one for the road, so-to-speak."

"Oh my…what's gotten into you?" Ginny was surprised as Sev swept her up off of her feet, kissing her soundly before placing her back down on the floor as they passed each other in the hall just before breakfast the morning after Draco's and his final encounter.

"I'm just very happy to see you today." Sev smiled, pulling her close and kissing her again.

"Err…what's the matter?"

"Nothing –you look beautiful today."

"Okay…" Ginny nodded. "Thank you. You look very nice yourself."

"Do you want to do something tonight?"

"Sure." Ginny nodded. "Like what?"

"Meet me in our spot…at seven?"

Ginny nodded, "Okay…will I see you before then?"

"Maybe, if we're lucky."

"And if we're not…?"

"Then you won't see me until tonight, will you?"

"Should, I, uh…bring anything?"

"Just that pretty red hair, and face full of freckles." Sev tapped her nose. "See you later."

"Err…okay. Uh, later!" Ginny's face flushed red and she hid her grin behind her hand as she skipped of towards class.

"…Seriously, what's wrong with you?" Don asked, stepping into line with Sev a few moments later. "That was really disgusting, and in the middle of the hall too."

"I'm in a good mood."

"Why? Are you putting on a show?"

"No. I'm just very happy today." _Denying Draco Malfoy sexual gratification, and therefore yourself, can do that to a person...I guess._

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great. Good friends, great girlfriend, big plans for tonight…"

"And meanwhile, you're ignoring telling me that you did something with Draco last night."

"What? I didn't do anything!"

"Uh huh, whatever Sev; I'm not deaf. I know what happened. Just because I couldn't see what was going on, didn't mean I couldn't hear, or imagine what was going on. –And did he have to talk so much! I felt dirty just listening."

"When why were you listening?!"

"Is that why you didn't tell Dad, Sev; because you didn't actually _mind_ the fact that he was assaulting you."

"Shh! Shut up, Don! Please…don't tell Ginny anything you heard. If you really heard everything you're saying you did then you know that it's _really_ over now. We're never going to do anything ever again."

Don crossed his arms, pushing Sev into an empty classroom and shutting the door behind them, "You're lying to my sister. You told her that you wouldn't do any of this anymore."

"I'm not!"

"You are! Unless you plan on telling her that you came _this_ close to fucking Draco last night, then…I don't think I can be your friend anymore."

"Don, please, don't make me do that. I just got this fixed."

"You're just…going to ignore last night?"

"Yea, I am, because it's _over_, Don."

Don shook his head, "This is Draco Malfoy, Sev. It'll be over for a couple of weeks, maybe a month, and then he'll come back, wanting to get into your pants again. Are you going to let him then too? I know it's what you want… What are you doing with my sister anyway? Are you just leading her on?"

"Of course not, what kind of question is that? Why can't you let this go?"

"Because this isn't fair to her; do you ever stop lying to her?"

"I don't… Don…" Sev shook his head.

"It's almost Valentine's Day, Sev. You have until then to come completely clean with my sister."

"Or what? What are you going to do, Don?"

"I'll tell her for you…and you can consider our friendship over. For good this time."


	16. The Truth

A/N: To Cardfreak, who asked whether this would develop towards H/Draco or H/Ginny…Umm, I honestly haven't decided yet. My decision on that changes, almost literally, every five minutes. That doesn't really help to answer your question, but I'm hoping I've got a lot left in this to fully progress it… I honestly didn't think I'd be spending so much time on this, with 15 chapters all ready (as of December 18, 2006, at 7:56 a.m) (I think this will be one of my largest stories) which is pretty sick and wrong when I've got a perfectly good original sitting on my hard drive… Oh well.

Other notes…Um, feel free to AIM me (ThePQ4). I'm online pretty much all of the time. If you've got some ideas, questions, or comments, don't hesitate to message me. I might be a little freaked out, but just tell me who you are, and where you found me, and I won't get to weirded out.

–Oh, also, I haven't been checking my layouts the last couple of chapters, does everything look okay? Let me know.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Sixteen

_Sev, where are you?_

One of the school owls had dropped the note into his lap, swooping into the Slytherin common room from seemingly nowhere. He watched it zoom back out, and towards the Owlery before he opened it.

_Sev, where are you?_

Ginny. Of course. He was supposed to meet her an hour ago in the room of Requirement. His little chat with Don that morning however had put a damper on his good mood. He sighed, packing up his things, dumping them into the dormitory before starting to make his way towards where Ginny was waiting for him.

"Finally! Where were you?" Ginny stood up when he opened the door, closing it again softly behind himself.

"I'm sorry, I err…got caught up in homework." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I've got a bit of a headache."

"Oh, well…come on, and sit down." She pushed him down onto the couch with her, pulling his head into her lap, working her fingers in a clockwise motion across his temples, "How were classes? I didn't see you all day."

"Fine." Sev shrugged.

"What happened to your good mood?"

"I talked to your brother." Sev rolled his eyes. "He's making a sorry attempt at blackmail."

"Against you?"

"Hmm." Sev agreed.

"Well, what does he have on you?"

"Don't worry about it." He shrugged.

"I have to worry about it, Sev. I'm your girlfriend, and if my brother is harassing you, then…"

"Shh…" He reached up, pulling her down to kiss her. "Lets not talk anymore, okay?"

"Hmm," Ginny nodded.

"Good." He sat up, readjusting himself on the couch to pull her across and into his lap, "Now lets return to our original plans, okay?"

--

Sev didn't speak to Ron for the next few days. Draco was keeping a distance, far away from Sev; avoiding eye contact, and blushing furiously if their hands so much as bumped each other at dinner, or in Potions class. Ginny tried not to let it seem as though anything was bothering her, but she couldn't help but be worried.

"Hermione, do you think they're something wrong with Sev?" The two girls were sitting an adequate distance away from Sev, who was by himself in one corner, a few dozen books spread open in front of him, a long piece of parchment hiding somewhere between all of the text books, and from Don, who was on the opposite side of the room, his table in a similar state.

"I don't know. I haven't really been talking to him. Don's been avoiding me like crazy too." Hermione shrugged, flipping through her Potions text book. "Why?"

"Well…the last couple of days he's been really distant." Ginny shrugged.

"He's probably just starting to worry about his grades."

"I don't think that's it." Ginny sighed.

"Then why don't you just go talk to him? I certainly don't know what's wrong with him."

"He looks busy. I don't want to bother him."

"Has he been having trouble with Draco again?"

Ginny shrugged, "I don't know –whenever I ask, he just assures me that it's over now. Whatever that means; I don't understand him sometimes."

"Do you think he's cheating on you?" Hermione asked, wetting her finger to flip the page in her book. "I mean, I don't think he would do that, but it would certainly be an excuse as to why he's being so secretive all of the time."

"I don't…I don't think so. I mean, how do you tell?"

"Well, I don't know. I've never had a boy cheat on me." Hermione shrugged. "But I guess, he would be…quiet, not interested in me, maybe forget our dates, make up excuses about them…"

"Oh. Hmm…"

"Does that fit the bill with Sev?"

"Sort of, but I already know about Draco the first time, and the second time…why would he keep that from me?"

"Maybe he's worried about how you'd react. You'd break up with him of course?"

"Well, er…I guess it depends. Did Draco institute it, or did he?"

"He did."

"…What do you know Hermione?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

Hermione looked quickly at her bare wrist, "Oh my! Look at the time! I've a study group to get to!"

"Hermione Granger…" Ginny stopped her, grabbing her wrist before she could dash off.

"I only know what Don told me…" Hermione sat back down. "But I can't tell you, because I promised Don that I would let Sev tell you!"

"Sev isn't telling me anything, Hermione! What happened?"

"Urgh! Don made Sev promise he'd tell you before Valentines Day, or…" She leaned in to whisper quietly, "Or that he'd have Professor Snape un-do the potion, and he, uh, wouldn't be friends with him anymore."

"What did he do?"

"…Lets not talk about this here, okay? There's a Charms classroom that shouldn't be in use right now. We can go there." Hermione packed up her books into her bag, waiting for Ginny to follow her out.

A few minutes later, Ginny sat on top of one of the Charms desks, her arms folded over her chest, "All right, now spill it, Hermione."

"Alright, but you didn't hear this from me, understand?"

"Of course."

"A couple of nights ago, Draco got into bed with Sev, right… and err, he kept going on about how great it had felt, when, he…uh, raped him and all of that."

"That's sick…"

"I'm not finished. Sev told him to shut up, and started kissing him. Then, he told him, that he –Sev, that is, had a girlfriend, and the he loved her –you, I mean, but that he couldn't stop thinking about him –Draco that is."

Ginny nodded, uncrossing her arms, to steady herself on the desk, "This was…night before Sev was all happy and stuff, wasn't it?"

"I guess."

She nodded again, "I don't care that, you know, he has feelings for Draco, or whatever, but… I can't believe he'd do something like that, and then lie to me about it."

"Well, he isn't lying to you, Gin. He's just not telling you about it."

"It might as well be the same thing, Hermione!" She jumped down from the desk. "I don't want to, but I'm breaking up with him. If he can't keep his hands off of that stupid pretty-boy Malfoy, then I don't think I want anything to do with him anymore."

"What are you going to tell him?"

"I'm not going to tell him a thing." Ginny slid her bag over her shoulders, and stalked out, back towards the library.

--

"Hey." Draco tapped Sev's shoulder, "Uh, I just a question about one of our essays… I'm not here to harass you."

"Oh. What do you need?"

"I just wanted to know what other books you were using for our Potions essay? Your Dad recommended a few, but I can't seem to find them."

"Oh, they're probably right in front of me, or in front of Don. Help yourself. I'm not working on it anymore."

"Oh, thanks." Draco stared closing the books, looking for the ones pertaining to his potions essay. "So…how are you?"

"Fine, and you?"

"I'm okay." Draco shrugged, "Oh, here it is." He picked up the tomb from the desk. "Err…thanks again."

"Sure." Sev nodded, and was then surprised when a hand yanked on the back of his chair, turning it over, "What the hell…Ginny?"

"You're a bastard, Severus." She kicked him in the arm. "I hate you."

"Jeez, Ginny! What did I do? I'm just studying?!" Sev grabbed his arm, rolling off of the chair, to stand up shakily. "Is this about Draco being here? He was just asking for a book, honest!"

"You know what you did." She slapped him, sending his already pounding head whirling.

"Gin! What's going on?"

"I don't want to see you anymore. You jerk!" She kicked him in the shin this time, and turned to Draco, "He's all yours, Ferret." She stomped her foot once, before stalking back out of the library.

"What?" Draco picked up Sev's fallen chair, "What's gotten into the Weasel?"

"Hey, that's my girlfriend you're talking about." Sev rubbed his shin where Ginny had kicked him. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't say stuff like that."

"From the sounds of it, Sev, she's put you up for auction." Draco shrugged. "And she gave me first bid."

"Don't get a fat head, Malfoy. I told you it was over between us."

"…Do you think she found out about the other night?" Draco asked, watching the door where Hermione had just raced past in some unforeseen effort.

"I certaintly didn't… Don."

"Don told her?"

"No. Don told Hermione, who can never bloody keep her mouth shut." Sev started packing up his books into his bag, "I'm going to kill her."

"Err, good luck with that… Thanks for the book."

Sev grunted, tossing his bag over his shoulder, and stalking over to Don, "Come on, you're helping me kill _your _girlfriend."

"What are you talking about? Hey…" Don was surprised when Sev grabbed the back of his chair, dragging it across the floor without much effort towards the door. "I can walk!"

Sev dropped the chair back onto the ground, "Then come on. You've got a lot of explaining to do, Mate."

Don nodded, picking up his things from the desk, and following Sev out of the door.

"What did I do now?"

"You told Hermione about the other night, didn't you?"

"Well…yeah. It pissed me off! I had to rant to someone! I obviously wasn't getting through to you!"

"Well, she's gone and told Ginny and now Ginny's broken up with me!"

"Good!" Don scoffed. "She's finally done something good for herself!"

"Don't push it, Donte…" Sev shook his head, "Oh, there's Hermione."

Hearing the sound of her name, Hermione turned around, "Oh, Sev…Don. Hi."

"Where'd she go?" Sev asked.

"Err…I'm not sure. I sort of lost her in one of these class rooms; this castle too bloody big!" Hermione sighed. "I'm really sorry Sev. I didn't want to tell her, but…she's very persuasive."

Sev nodded, "I was mad at you for about thirty seconds, and then I realized she was going to find out sooner or later anyway."

"Does that mean you're not mad at me either?" Don asked.

"No, I'm still very mad at you –what'd you tell Hermione for?" Sev poked him in the shoulder.

"I told you! I needed to rage on someone, and Hermione was the only person I thought you wouldn't mind me telling!"

"And thank you, Sev, for not telling me about being molested!" Hermione shoved him in the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't…I never see you! Why would I tell you!"

"I'm only one of your best friends, you stupid prat! I think I deserve to know!"

"Yeah, Sev! Imagine me having to go on and telling her!" Don shoved his shoulder from the other side. "You're such a hypocrite sometimes!"

"Hey! Can we stop the shoving? I think I've been pushed and kicked quite enough today." Sev held both of them away. "Now…if you were Ginny, where would you go?"

"Well…where'd you two go when you wanted to be alone?"

"The Room of Requirement, why do you ask?"

"Well, because I certainly wouldn't go there, Mate."

"Well, I'm not looking for places she _wouldn't_ go, Don!"

"I suppose I could go check the girl's bathrooms for you." Hermione offered. "Maybe she'd go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom? Although, Myrtle can be kind of a snot when you're in pain…and I'm not sure if she's gotten over that whole thing about Ginny throwing a book through her head."

"You check the bathrooms, Hermione. Don, you keep an eye out here in the hall for her, and I'll check the classrooms, okay?"

The two nodded and Sev and Hermione set off in opposite directions, Don hunkering down on the floor to continue work on his essay.

--

"Ginny? Are you in here?" Sev pushed open the door of the last dark class room in the corridor.

"Go away, Sev." She sighed, from the corner where she had made herself comfortable on the dusty floor. m

"Come on…you're going to get your robes all dusty and dirty. What are you doing in here?"

"Crying my eyes out, why do you care?" She pulled her arms away from him as he tried to lift her up from the floor. "Don't touch me!"

"Gin…I'm sorry. Is that what you want to hear?"

"No, I want to hear that Draco Malfoy has died of some tragic accident and you couldn't be happier about it! I want things to go back to the way that they were!"

"I can't…I can't do that."

"I want Harry Potter back, damn it!" Ginny looked up at him her cheeks stained. "I want Harry Potter back!"

"I can't do that!"

"Yes you can, Sev, and you know it! All you have to do is tell Dumbledore and your Dad that you don't want to hide any more!"

"I can't do that."

"Do you want to stay hiding for the rest of your life, Sev? Eventually, even with this whole stupid charade, he's going to find you!"

"And you want his job made a little easier? Is that what you want, Ginny? You want to see me dead?"

"You're not going to die, Harry. I know you won't."

"If I give myself time to prepare, I won't… If I start to learn how to protect myself, I won't. But you aren't giving me that chance, Ginny. Right now, I wouldn't last my _Neville_ much less Voldemort!"

"You aren't giving yourself enough credit. You'd do just fine against Neville. You'd finish him off in a minute"

"Ginny…what is this all about?"

"You insinuated to me that you and Draco were _completely_ over with…and then Hermione, of all people, has to tell me that you were…kissing him, and not in any old place –but in your bed! I've never even gotten to kiss you in your bed!"

"Well, before you found out about Draco at all, we kissed in my bed at—ow!" Sev sat back on the floor, grabbing his knee where Ginny had hit him, "Why do you have to keep hitting me?"

"What else did you do with him, Harry?"

"If Hermione told you the whole story, she'd also have told you that I told him to leave, because I love you, Ginny! I didn't let my hormones get the better of me. Yea, I wanted to fuck Draco's brains out, but I didn't, because I would have been thinking about you, and killing myself on the inside if I had!"

"If you didn't, then why the hell were you so happy the next morning?"

"Because, I woke up, having the most wonderful girlfriend in the entire world, and nothing was going to take her away from me… Except, apparently, for Hermione and her fat mouth."

"Even though I believe you…I still can't go out with you anymore." Ginny shook her head, standing up and brushing the dust off of her robes. "When Harry comes back…I'll date him, with no questions as to went on while Sev was still around… So, you go and…have fun with Draco. Get it out of your system. We'll get together this summer, after everything is back to normal if you want, okay?"

"No. It's not okay."

"That's to bad, because that's my decision. You can take it or leave it, but you can bet that Ginny Weasley and Sev Snape _are_ completely over now."

--

"So, she, uh…really broke up with you?" Don was leaning on his elbow, peering over at Sev, who was gazing up at the canopy of his bed. "I'm sorry, Mate."

"She said she wanted Harry Potter back…err, whatever that means." Sev added, incase they were being listened to.

"Maybe she had the hots for him."

"Maybe." Sev shrugged. "But yeah, I guess it's over."

"No chance of getting back together?"

"Not unless I miraculously turned into that Potter kid."

"Why are we talking about Potter?" Draco exited the bathroom, drying his hair with one towel, anther wrapped around his waist.

"Ginny broke up with him." Don offered. "…err, the two of you talking?" He stared pointedly between Sev and Draco.

"I don't know, Snape. Are we talking?" Draco began to rifle through his trunk looking for clean clothes. "I thought we were, but I could be wrong. Now that your little girlfriend is out of the picture, I don't see why you'd have an excuses."

"Yeah, we're talking." Sev nodded.

"Oh good, I've missed our chats." Draco stepped onto the other side of his bed, pulling on his clothes, and tossing his towels off to the side, before coming back around to sit on the end of his bed, "So, she broke your heart, huh?"

"Mmm…not really; I rather deserved it."

"She was to good for you anyway."

Sev and Don both turned to look at him.

"Was that a compliment you just threw towards a _Weasley_?" Don asked.

"Hey, I may make fun of them behind their backs, but they aren't really bad people… Just because they're poor, and have a bunch of kids doesn't mean that they aren't, you know…decent."

"Oh my god…Draco Malfoy _does_ have a heart! Alert the Daily Prophet!"

"Shut up, Don." Draco rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to Sev, "So, now that you're broken up…"

"I am not sleeping with you Draco."

"Jeez Sev, could you be any more disturbing! I wouldn't ask you that in front of your brother!"

Sev leaned upwards, raising an eyebrow at him, "Oh really?"

"Okay, so…maybe I would, but that doesn't mean that's what I was going to ask!"

"Then what were you going to ask, Draco?"

"I was going to ask if you thought you'd get back together!"

"I doubt it." Sev shrugged. "…Don and I already discussed this."

"Oh…Did you and Don discuss going to the Valentines Ball as well?"

"What?"

"There's a ball next week for Valentine's Day, after everyone gets back from the trip to Hogsmead."

"Oh. I didn't know."

"Don't you ever read the bulletins in the common room?"

"No, not really…If something important was happening, Hermione would tell us."

"Hmph… since you're obviously not going with your little Gin-gin, why don't you go with me?"

"I can't go with you, Draco. What would that look like?"

"Like two guys going stag… We wouldn't _go_ together, and like dance or anything. Don could hang out with us too."

"Err…I'vealreadygotadatemymylookatthetime. Good night, gents!"

"Wait." Sev rolled out of his bed, grabbing the edge of Don's bed curtain, "Who are you going with? And why didn't you tell me there was a ball going on?"

"I'm going with Hermione...and I, er, didn't tell you because I thought you'd be going to Gin and you knew."

"Ew, you're going with that mudblood?" Draco looked slightly repulsed. "Its one thing to hang out with her, but to _date_ her?"

The two boys looked pointedly at him.

"Er…very pretty, she's got nice eyes…very smart too." Draco nodded. "I have a heart, remember?"

"Uh huh…" Sev picked himself up off of the floor, shaking his head. "I can't believe you'd let my girlfriend break up with me the week before a big dance, Don. I'm going to look like the biggest loser in the entire school."

"No you won't. I'll dress up pretty." Draco assured him. "It'll be fun."

Sev raised an eyebrow.

"_No_, I am not going to dress up like a girl. Gosh, Sev, I may like boys, but I don't find dresses at all comfortable." Draco rolled his eyes.

Sev nodded, "Fine. I'll, er, go with you, Draco. But only as friends –and the fact that I'm _with_ you is between us. Understand?"

"Got it." Draco nodded. "I won't tell a soul that I'm your date."

"Good." Sev nodded. "Then…I'd love to go with you, Draco."

"Good." Draco agreed. "I look forward to it, Sev."


	17. The Father and Son

A/N: First of all, can you believe that I forgot the name of the Daily Prophet? Secondly, I changed the character listing to Harry/Draco again. That doesn't mean anything. For all you know, I might just kill him in the end, and he won't end up with anyone… Mwahahahaha… –Can I just mention however that I hate it when my synonym function doesn't work on words with "ed" or" ly" or any kind of end-word on them…grrr…It's very annoying.

–And finally, Potter's Wifey, I find it hilarious you start every one of your reviews with "I absolutely love it." It totally brightens my day (or hour…depending on when I read it). I can only hope to keep you 'absolutely loving it'.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Seventeen

"Err…you're wearing that?" Sev was waiting for Draco before the two of them made their way down to the Great Hall.

"Yes…why? What's wrong with it?"

"You look…really good." Sev nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do I look to good? I've got another set if you'd prefer?"

"No, no…"

"Are you worried you won't be able to keep your hands off of me, Sev?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Don't be disgusting."

"Don't tease me by looking so good."

"You know…you can have this any time you want." Draco wasn't hiding the fact that he wasn't at all interested in going to the ball downstairs. "We can skip the dance and just stay here all night…we'd have the whole room almost to ourselves."

"We can't."

"Why the hell can't we, Sev? You act like we've never even kissed before."

"We can't." Sev repeated.

Draco grunted, grabbing a fistful of the fabric around Sev's waist, pulling him closer, pushing him down onto Blaise Zabini's bed, "Sure we can."

"We'll be late, and then people will wonder what happened to us." Sev groaned, raking his fingers forward through Draco's hair from the back.

"The only person that even knows we're going is your brother… I doubt he's going to miss us what with Granger on his arm."

"You'd be surprised. He isn't as daft as he sometimes seems to be."

"Hmm…" Draco kissed him, before rolling over to pull him on top, releasing his robes, to let his hands rest on Sev's hips. "Sit right there."

"Pervert." Sev kissed him, before shoving him off. "C'mon. I doubt that Blaise would appreciate us on his bed."

"You'd be surprised what Blaise appreciates."

--

"Don…where's Sev?" Hermione asked, her head resting on his shoulder as they danced near the edge of the floor. "I've been looking all over for him, but I can't seem to find him…"

"I'm not sure…he was waiting…err…for someone."

"Is he coming with Draco?"

"No, I mean…they were going to hang out here together, but," Don scoffed, "c'mon, Hermione! Seriously, do you expect the two of them to do something _that_ ridiculous?"

"I don't know. They've been doing some pretty ridiculous things lately." Hermione shrugged.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it." Don shrugged. "Just keep dancing with me, okay?"

--

"Were you two up here all night?" Don ripped back the curtains on Sev's bed, not surprised to find the two of them there, though (thankfully) full clothed. "Hermione was asking me all kinds of questions about it whenever Ginny wasn't around, and when she was, Ginny kept watching the door… What were you two thinking?" He pushed the both of them out of the bed, crossing it to stand over them. "Sev, you stupid prat, this could have been your chance to get Ginny to make up with you."

"Err, we didn't mean to miss it…" Sev denied. "I mean, we just got caught up, I guess."

"Yea, well, while you two were up here making asses out of yourselves, I had two dates, neither of which made my life very enjoyable…" Don let the curtain fall out of his hand, "I hope you're both really pleased."

"Well, I do feel rather unsatisfied, but that could have something to do with the fact that Sev has made me promise we would keep our clothes on…" Draco mused aloud.

"Draco…" Sev warned.

"Sev, you've got to understand…_I_ don't care that you were up here snogging, honestly, I don't. You do whatever it is that makes you feel…good. But! Your ex-girlfriend, and _my_ girlfriend were both down there, expecting to see you. I thought you wanted to get Ginny back on your good side?"

"I don't have to go to a dance to get on her good side, Don." Sev picked himself up off of the floor, "And besides, she told me she didn't want to see me anymore, right? If she asks you where I was, tell her the truth. I was coming close to shagging our friend Draco here…"

"Hmm?" Draco looked up. "Shagging?"

"Shut up." Sev tapped him with his foot, before turning back to Ron. "And even if she is deeply offended with that…you should remind her that _she_ broke up with _me_ and therefore doesn't have any say in the relationships I chose to take part in anymore."

"Oh, like she did to begin with? You were still doing stuff with him behind her back, and you know it!"

"Is there something going on here that I don't…realize?" Draco asked, picking himself up off of the floor as well, dusting himself off, "Jeez, don't those house elves ever sweep?"

"Stay out of this, Draco." Don shook his head, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"Do you have some kind of…feelings for Gin-gin? Don't happy with Hermione are you?"

"I don't want _Gin-gin_." Don rolled his eyes. "I just…I feel sorry for her. This jerk," He pushed Sev, "has been leading her on since Halloween, and when she finally catches wind of it, and breaks up with him for good, she looks like she'll never be happy again."

"Hey, key words there she broke up with me!" Sev pushed back. "Why do have to take everything so personal? What are you really so jealous of?"

"I'm sick of being your sidekick all the time! Just for once, I want to be better then you!" Don pushed him harder this time, knocking him back into his side table.

"What are you talking about? You're not my sidekick, you're my brother!" Sev steadied himself.

"No I'm not! You've never once treated me like your brother, ever. I'm just a convinence for you, Severus, and you know it! I'm there when you need me, and any other time, it doesn't matter. You're to busy –getting all of the girls, making out with Draco, doing well in everything that you do. Well, you know what? I'm sick of it!" He lunged off of the bed, pushing Sev back down onto the floor, instituting his first fist fight against his best friend. Draco stood there, flabbergasted for a full minute, watching Don's fists flying towards Sev, whose hands were raised, blocking his face. Then he was struck by the seriousness.

"Whoa! Don!" Draco pulled him off, pulling his hands back behind his head, lugging him across the floor, still kicking. "Knock it off!"

Sev rolled over onto his stomach, taking his time standing up, his lip bleeding from one of the first hits, "Fuck, Don! I'm bleeding!"

"Good!" Don continued to struggle against Draco, trying to stand and get more leverage, "Call off your boyfriend so I can even out your bruising."

"Draco, let him go… I must deserve whatever it is he's pummeling me for."

"Damn right you do"

"I can't just let him go! He's beating the crap out of you! Maybe if you'd fight back, I could…"

"Draco, I'm a prefect, I can't hit him."

"You've got to report him though, ha!" Draco let his guard down, releasing Don's arms, not realizing it until Don had already lunged back on top of Sev, pulling him onto the ground, straddling his hips between his knees, "Whoa!" He managed to grab his hands and pull him off again before he laid any punches. "Sorry…"

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Sev asked, nursing his concussed head. "If I don't wake up tomorrow, it's because you've killed me…"

"Wuss." Don spat.

"If you're that angry at me, then you know how to punish me, Donte, and this isn't the way you want to do that."

"You're right, but this feels like it has a lot more closure to it."

"Look, I'm not letting you go, so could you stop struggling? It's sort of a turn on…" Draco was having a hard time keeping his grip around Don's wrist.

"Ugh!" Don wrung himself around, pulling his hands out of Draco's grasp.

"Well if it was that easy, why didn't you do it in the first place?"

"You weren't being perverted before!"

Sev looked up from where he was examining the blood now staining his hands. "I think I better go to the infirmary…"

"I'll walk you." Draco offered.

"I think you've done enough." Don took his brother's arm. "I'll walk him."

"You sure you can resist the urge to continue to pound on me?" Sev asked.

"Yeah." Don nodded. "I'm pretty sure I can." He jerked on his arm, leaning him towards the stairs.

"What is wrong with you?" Sev pulled his arm away as soon as they were out of the common room.

"I'm sick of you mistreating everyone around you!" Don crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm going back...at least as Ron Weasley, I was expected to be your stupid little sidekick. I was hoping that like this…you would see me as your partner, not your…whatever."

"Don, you're my best friend! Nothing more, nothing less…"

"That's bullshit." Don cursed. "You gave me a choice at Christmas, and I'm taking it."

"Don…"

"No. I'm so sick of you! You piss me off so much, but I can't say anything because you're gallant Harry Potter. Well, you know what? Fuck you!"

"Don, not so loud –someone might hear you…"

"Good. I hope someone does hear, so we can stop this stupid charade!"

"I'm sorry…is that what you want to hear? That I'm sorry?"

"Sorry doesn't even begin to cover what I want to hear come out of your mouth."

--

"Err…where's Don?" Draco whispered, getting out of bed, the snoring boys around them oblivious to anything weird having happened in the room earlier.

"He, uh…left." Sev shrugged. "He went…home."

"He went home?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He, uh, turned himself while I was in the infirmary. Our, uh, Dad sent him home as part of his suspension."

"How long is he out for?"

"He, um, won't be coming back. Dad is in the midst of, err, transferring him back to Durmstrang."

"Why?"

"That was…his punishment for me. He left me alone." Sev shrugged. "It's alright, Draco. Don't worry about it."

In truth, Don had turned himself in, and was going to hide out for a couple of days before Ron Weasley's return to Hogwarts. Sev had gone to the infirmary where Severus had showed up few minutes after he arrived, surprised at how beaten up he was.

"Don said the two of you got into a fight."

"No, no…Don fought, I covered my face like a coward."

"No, Son. That's good. You're a prefect. You shouldn't be fighting." Severus shook his hed. "Err…he's…gone back to being…you know."

"I know. He told me he was going to do it."

"I've got another potion, in case he changes his mind in the next couple of days."

"He won't. It's alright."

Draco prodded him in the side, bring his attention back, "Hey, you're not listening to me."

"I'm sorry, Draco…what is it?" Sev started to pull off his robes to get ready for bed. "I'm really tired."

"Are you okay?" Draco crossed the room, to put his hands on Sev's shoulders.

"Yea, I'm all healed up. Good as new." Sev smiled. "I'll probably be bruised something awful tomorrow though…"

"Mm…" Draco nodded, taking Sev's robes from him, and tossing them over the lid of his trunk, "I'm really sorry –I didn't realize that I was causing so many problems for you."

"Don't worry about it." Sev shook his head, crawling into bed without pulling on anything else "Go back to sleep."

Draco sighed, crawling underneath the covers with him, drawing the curtains closed around them to give them a little more privacy, "I'm not going to just leave you alone, Sev. Want me to kiss you all better?"

"I thought that only worked when mothers did it."

"Nope. I've got magical lips." Draco pressed his lips to Sev's shoulder, "See, doesn't it feel better?"

"It feels good, not better." Sev moved over onto his side to better accommodate the second person in his bed, putting his arm over Draco's hips. "What I did to Ginny was pretty bad, Draco."

Draco nodded, "It was."

"I deserve to be in pain."

"No one deserves to get beat up, Sev."

"But if anyone ever did, it would be me. I'm lying…to everyone I care about."

"Even me"

"Even you." Sev nodded.

Draco looked confused, "Well…then, I don't want you to tell me the truth, Sev. I've never been happier…lied to or not."

Sev smiled softly, pressing a kiss to Draco's lips, "Go to sleep."

Draco nodded, pressing his forehead against Sev's shoulder, "Okay."

--

A week later, Ron returned to classes, and back to the Gryffindor house. Sev tried to ignore him as much as possible, sticking near Draco, and his lackeys –something he never thought he would be doing. Every so often he could feel Draco's eyes boring into to the back of his head from behind him during classes, and Sev tried to push it out of his mind. He kept his mind off of his problems during the day by studying harder then he had before –mostly in a dusty corner of the library where he wasn't likely to see any of his old Gryffindor friends. At night, after studying some more, he and Draco waited until everyone else in the dormitory had fallen to sleep before climbing into bed together. He knew that if Ron had been there, he wouldn't have approved. Neither would Remus, if it ever came up between them.

"Hmm…think we'd get in trouble if we pushed Don's old bed up along side yours?" Draco nuzzled him before they fell asleep, a couple of days into March. "Not to say that I don't love our little cramped quarters here, but…I'd like some room to spread out, if you know what I mean."

"You don't have to stay here, if you don't want…" Sev whispered, pulling his fingers through Draco's hair, pulling his head back to suck at his throat.

"Why would I want to leave when you keep doing things like that?" Draco groaned.

"Hmm, maybe because it stops as soon as I fall asleep, Draco; which has to be soon, as we have classes tomorrow morning."

Draco groaned, "I want to just devour you…" He turned his head down to bite into Sev's shoulder.

"Hmm…We all know what happens when you aren't satisfied… Maybe you _should_ go to your own bed."

"Sev…why haven't we had sex yet?" Draco sighed. "Did I ruin any chance of that happening? You know it won't be like last time, right?"

"I don't know anything, Draco."

"Does that…still bother you? I know that no amount of apologizing is going to fix what I did, but…I thought we were getting better."

"We are…and maybe, eventually, I'd like to try having sex with you as a _willing_ party, but I'm just not ready for that yet."

"I fucked up my chances, didn't I?"

"You set them back about six months, Draco." Sev kissed him again. "Just be happy that you still have a place in this school, in my bed, and…in my heart." He pressed Draco's palm against his chest. "Be thankful, not ungreatful."

"I am thankful, Sev…but being thankful doesn't help with an erection." Draco scoffed.

Sev mused, breathing a deep sigh into Draco's throat, "I don't really want to think about your dick yet, Draco… I'm having way to much focusing just on your lips."

"Just don't ignore it to long, Sev…or it might not be there for you _to_ ignore…and it's going to take my lips with it." Draco raised an eyebrow at him pointedly.

"Hmm…I'll think about it." Sev nodded. "Give me a couple more days, okay?"

Draco nodded, sliding out of the bed, leaning over to just give Sev one more kiss, "I'm going to bed…good night."

"Uh huh," Sev nodded. "Good night."

"I have a problem." Sev sat down in front of his father. "And…I don't know if I should talk to Remus about this one. I don't think he would offer me any more then common sense."

"Okay…" Severus nodded, putting down his grading quill to pay full attention to his son. "Is this something…I want to hear?"

"Probably not…no, you really don't."

"Oh well then, go ahead."

Sev nodded, "Well, you know that Ginny broke up with me. For good, obviously, and that Don…left. But, I don't think you know why." Sev looked up, "After we got back from Holiday…Draco raped me."

"What?" Severus stood up, his chair falling backwards. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? This has to go straight to the Headmaster; forms have to filled out—."

"Stop –I didn't tell you because I knew this how you'd react. I don't want to get Draco into trouble. This isn't why I came down here." Sev stood, to push Severus back into his chair. "I came down here, because…even though he did that, I still have feelings for him. Ginny broke up with me because she found out that, regardless of that, Don caught Draco and I kissing, and I didn't tell her about it."

"You know, I think the muggles have a word for this –it's called Stockholm Syndrome."

Sev sighed, "Maybe that's what's going on." He lowered himself back into his chair. "But, Draco and I have been spending a lot more…private time together, but...he's getting really uneasy because I won't, you know, have sex with him again."

"And you shouldn't. You're to young to have sex."

"I'm sixteen!"

"Exactly! You shouldn't even know what sex is!"

"Don't be such a hypocrite! You slept with Remus when you were fifth years!"

"That was different! I'm your father –I did stupid things so I could prevent you from doing them later!"

Sev crossed his arms, tilting his head, "Alright, first of all, you didn't even know you were my father until last summer. Second of all, this isn't about _you_, Dad."

Severus sighed, seeing that he wasn't going to be winning this fight, "Fine…fine, where is this conversation going?"

"Draco wants me to have sex with him…again. As a willing party this time." Sev shrugged. "But, I don't know if I want to, you know, do that."

"Then don't."

"But…I'm afraid that he's going to leave me, if I don't."

"Then maybe you're better off with out him."

"…You know, maybe I should have talked to Remus about this."

"Look –I'm not going to support a _sexual_ relationship between one of my students, and my son. I'm sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear."

Sev shook his head, taking a deep breath, "I don't think you understand."

"Oh, I understand just fine." Severus nodded. "You were _raped_, didn't tell me –but found the time to inform my lover about it; didn't seem at all fazed enough to stop any contact with said molester, and now you're asking me if I think sex with him is a good idea."

"Err…sort of." Sev shrugged.

"I don't think you respect me enough to even care about my answer Sev, so…you're going to do whatever you want." Severus shrugged. "If you _want_ to hear me to tell you to go for it, have sex with Draco…go ahead. I hope you enjoy it. But, if you want to hear me say _don't even think about it_…say the word, and I'll expel him."

"You can't expel Draco."

"The hell I can't! He should have been out of here months ago! How could you not tell me he did something like that to you, Sev?"

Sev shrugged, "I don't want to talk about this anymore." He got up from his chair, surprised at the swiftness that carried his dad across the room, stopping him.

"You can't ignore this –I want an answer. Why didn't you tell me? Why wouldn't you let Remus tell me? I could have helped you, Sev." Severus lifted his son's face to look at him, taken aback by the tears forming in the corner of Sev's eyes.

"Because, _Dad_…I didn't want to see that you cared." Sev pushed him away, "I don't _want_ you to care about me. I want us to go back to hating each other."

"It's too late for that." Severus shook his head. "We can't change the past. I don't want to hate you anymore, Sev. You're my son, and I don't want to ever take that back."

"Hate me!" Sev begged, his tears spilling over, dropping down onto his knees in front of Severus. "What is it going to take for you to just hate me again?"

"Why would I hate you, Sev?"

"For the reason that it would make hating _you_ so much easier, Dad; I don't want a father! When I wanted a family, I didn't have one, why should I get one now when I don't _want_ it?"

"If you don't want to think of me as your family, Sev, don't blame you." Severus knelt down onto the floor in front of him, "But, I won't hate you. I'm sorry that... I wasn't there for you, but you can't blame me for that. I was lied to just as much as you were the last sixteen years."

"Stop trying to compare yourself to me. You aren't like me! I'm not like you!"

"Sev…as much as you hate it…we have a lot of things in common."

"I'm not like you." Sev repeated.

"You are just like me." Severus shook his head.

"Shut up! I don't want to talk to you anymore." Sev started to try and stand, but was having problems focusing his balance through his tearing eyes. "Just leave me alone." He reached for the doorknob, falling down against the door when Severus pushed it back shut. "Let me go…"

"No. You can't keep running away from your problems."

"I'm not running away! What have I ever run away from?"

"You're running away from your true emotions, Sev." Severus grabbed his shoulders, leaning down to look him in the eye. "You don't hate me. You don't love Draco. You're looking for the easy way out. Stop shitting on your life, Sev."

"Don't touch me." Sev pushed him backwards towards his desk, regaining his balance enough to stand, pulling the door open. "Don't…just don't. I knew this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have even bothered trying to talk to you."

Severus bit his lip, leaning on the edge of his desk, not trying to stop Sev from exiting his office this time, wincing at the door slamming behind him. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the retreating footsteps before he picked up a pot from the mantel in front of his fireplace, tossing in a dash of the powder before sticking his head through.

"—Sorry to startle you Tonks, but I need to have a private word with Remus."


	18. The End of an Era AKA my Cop Out

A/N: I'm just making shit up now and you can stop reading this any time you want…for those you who, you know…do. Also, this is my shortest chapter –ever-, and is going to be the tie-in with book six…but chapter 19 will make up for it…just so you know. Secondly, who else thinks the bad guy in the trailers for Arthur and the Invisibles looks like Voldemort?! Ochmigee! –There will also be a note at the bottom to clear up a question I know I will be asked.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Eighteen

"Get off." Sev pushed Draco away from him when he tried to climb into bed with him later, the night after his big argument with his father.

"What's wrong? I know it's early, but no one's around…" Draco tried to move closer again, onto be shoved back into the side table. "Ow! Sev!"

"I don't want to sleep with you, Draco." Sev rolled over onto his side, away from the blonde. "So, just…go away."

Draco's eyes narrowed, scruitinzing the other boy, "What are you talking about? I'm not getting into be to _sleep_ with you…well, I am, but just sleeping. Not anything else…maybe some kissing…"

"I don't want you in my bed, Draco, so just go away."

"Well aren't you emotional tonight…" Draco rubbed his hip absentmindedly where he had banged into the corner of the table, "Damn…that's going to leave a mark…"

Sev didn't reply, whipping around long enough to pull the curtain closed on his bed, before turning back over onto his side.

Draco sighed, kneeling down on the floor outside of Sev's bed, "What's going on? Why are you asking this?"

"I told my Dad."

"Told your Dad what?" Draco was confused for a second before the realization hit him, "Shit…should I start packing?"

"No, I told him I didn't want you reported, so he's not going to do anything."

"Okay…if you weren't going to report me, then why did you talk to him about it?"

Sev rolled back over onto his back to stare up at the top of his canopy, "Because Draco… I couldn't think of a way to tell you myself that…I can't have sex with you. Ever."

"Well…why not?"

"Because, Draco! Why would I _want_ to do anything with you after you did that? I'm just punishing myself when I do these things with you!"

"But…you like it right? You wouldn't do it if you didn't like it?"

"Draco…I'm never thinking of you." Sev turned his head, watching Draco's silhouette through the curtain. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I still…want you as my friend, but this whole thing…I think I was just trying to find a way to chastise my Dad…you know, for being such a horrible parent."

Draco was quiet, taking a moment before standing, "Are you trying to tell me that…all of this was because your Dad didn't…love you enough or something?"

"I'm sorry."

Draco shook his head, "You are so stupid." He pulled back the curtain again, pushing Sev's shoulders further down into his pillows, leaning down to kiss him, lingering much longer then he typically would. "You say all of this now, and it might be true…but that doesn't mean I won't wait for you to come to your senses. You are the only person for me, Sev…I'll be waiting for you."

--

March and April passed quickly. Harry busied himself with his studies and defense lessons with Kingsley and Tonks. He was going to be relieved for the school year to be over with, but when Dumbledore approached him in early May with the news of the Horcruxes, he was apprehensive.

Everyone knows the story from then. Dumbledore died. Severus killed him. The entire order was in shock. Remus most of all, but that was to be expected. Dumbledore's death changed everything, and after Severus and Draco disappeared, and his 6th year came to a close, Harry was faced with one question.

How was he supposed to survive as Severus's son?

--

Headquarters was quiet. Two days after school had let out, no one quite sure what to do with themselves. Sev hadn't bothered to return to Privet drive, knowing that it wouldn't have done him any good looking as he did. He was pretty much stuck looking like Severus Snape's offspring. No one else had any idea how to read Severus's notes for the antidote to turn him back in to Harry Potter. After just over ten months of living as an oily haired git, making out with Draco Malfoy, who s it turned out was in ranks with Lord Voldemort, and of course…hating the only father he had ever known... Harry's life had turned upside down.

"Se—Harry, I mean…are you alright? You've been quiet all day." Ginny slid into the chair next to him at the table in the kitchen of the Order Headquarters.

"I'm fine." Harry bit his lip. "I guess I'm just tired or something."

"Well, why don't you have a bit of a lie down? Tonks and Kingsley are going to continue their lessons with you today."

Harry nodded, "Fine."

"Harry… If I haven't said it yet…I'm really sorry." Ginny put a hand on his knee. "About everything that's been happening the last couple of months –I honestly never expected Professor Snape…and Draco. I mean, I never really liked Draco, but I didn't think he was _evil_."

"Lets not talk about Draco and my Dad, okay?" Sev stood up, pushing his chair back into the table. "Wake me up when Kingsley gets here okay?"

Ginny turned in her chair to watch him push through the door to take the stairs two at a time.

"Don't worry about him, Love." Molly pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "He's just adjusting…and not very well."

"He's spent almost a year as Sev…why is this so hard for him?"

"Well, sweetie…because, he always had the option of going back to being Harry…and now that he doesn't..." Molly shrugged. "We were lucky to find another potions master in such a short time, or else Remus would have become quite a problem very quickly… But, we need a master charmer before we can change Harry back."

Ginny nodded, "Mum…can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Gin." Molly nodded, turning back to the stove where she was busy preparing lunch.

"Why do you think that Professor Snape killed Professor Dumbledore?"

"I'm not sure. Even Remus isn't sure, and he was possibly the closest person to Severus."

"Do you think…do you think he's okay? Where ever he is?"

"I don't know." Molly shrugged again, turning to take a look at her.

"Thanks, Mum…I think I'm going to go have a bit of a lie-in too."

--

End Note: Alright, I know everyone is pondering…how the hell couldn't Harry have known that Draco was a death eater?! My answer: He wasn't looking. Harry isn't a wrist-kisser. My excuse: I didn't want him to, duh! But don't fret, y'all… it'll all pan out right in the end.


	19. The Return

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Nineteen

Sev was the first to the door three weeks after summer vacation had started. He had been awake, studying, determined to find at least one of the remaining horcruxes before the end of the summer, and destroy it. But to do that, he had know his enemy. Those in the order who had connections inside the ministry had smuggled him out documents pertaining to Voldemort's past, but…he wasn't finding anything that seemed useful yet.

"Who is it?" He called, suddenly realizing that it was two in the morning…who on earth would be knocking at the order door this late?"

There was no reply, just another brutal knock. Remus appeared at the top of the stairs, "What's going on, Harry?"

"Someone's at the door…"

"Obviously –open it for goodness sake." Remus tightened his robe around his waist, descending the stairs as Harry pulled open the door.

"Finally." Severus breathed a sigh of relief, "Help me…" He started to push past Harry with what resembled a bloody carcass with what used to be blonde hair.

Remus's felt for his wand, and then cursed when he found that he had forgotten it, but Harry already had his wand out, and pointed at his father's back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Harry's voice was cold, as Severus continued on towards the kitchen, backing through towards the table.

"Not right now, son."

"Don't you dare call me your son! How could you even think of coming back here!"

"I will explain everything to you later, but right now…Draco needs help." Severus let the body's feet fall to the ground, slumping against him.

Harry's hand waived before he shook his head, "No…no, you're not doing this."

"Harry…You can be angry with me later…" Severus turned to Remus. "Will _you_ help me? Please?"

Remus looked between the two of them, before shrugging to Harry, "Yeah…I'll try…"

"Thank you." Severus laid Draco out on top of the table. "Are all of my apothecary items still here?"

Remus nodded, "What do you need?"

"Bring all of it down." Severus moved towards the sink, tossing a look at Harry who stood in the doorway, staring at Draco's immobile body. "Are you going to help me or not, Harry?"

"…I'll help." Harry nodded.

"Good." Sev pulled a towel out of one of the drawers, running it under warm water, and tossing it across the room to him, "I need to you get rid of some of the blood."

"What he hell happened?" Harry was apprehensive to step any closer.

"Don't worry about what happened…just help me get him better." Severus scrubbed his hands clean after rolling up the sleeves of his robes, and pulling out a kettle from beside the cabinet beside the stove, filling it with water to boil.

"I brought some bandages from the bathroom too…"Remus was back with Severus's apothecary, "What do you need me to do?"

Severus moved from the stove to the vials, pulling them out, setting some of them in front of Remus, and then taking down a mortar bowl and pedestal, placing them in front of Remus, "Grind all of these together –you'll need about six tablespoons of each."

Remus nodded, opening all of the jars to shake each of the ingredients into the mortar bowl, while Severus grabbed more of the items, taking them over to his bowling water.

Meanwhile, Harry started trying to mop off the blood coating most of Draco's face.

"What happened?" Remus asked, looking up from his grinding motion.

"We were attacked after we left the Death Eaters. We're lucky only Draco got hurt."

"How do we know that they didn't follow you here? How do we know you didn't this to him?" Harry looked up.

"You don't, so I guess you're just going to have to find it in your hearts to trust me, aren't you? –Take his shirt, it'll be easier that way."

Harry nodded, biting his tongue, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on Draco's shirt, "If Draco looks like this, how come you got away unscathed?"

"I didn't, but while I'm not about to be cut down by a couple of crucius and imperius curses, Draco isn't that strong." Severus moved from the stove, and started opening the cupboards, "Don't we have any chocolate in this house?"

"Severus, are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine –I'm more worried about him."

"What's going on?" Ginny's eyes were closed, as she yawned, pushing open the kitchen door, ""What's all the---!" Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open the scream, but Remus dropped what he was doing to cover her mouth, and she continued to mumble loudly against his palm.

"Ginny…relax." Remus prompted. "We…err..wait, why shouldn't I let her scream, Severus?"

"Because, I didn't kill Professor Dumbledore, Remus." Severus returned back to the pot on the stove, "Bring me the mortar bowl."

"Ginny, I'm going to let you go…and you've got to promise not to scream…" Remus slowly released his hand as she nodded.

"If you didn't kill Professor Dumbledore, then who did?" Ginny's thoughts automatically went towards getting an explanation.

"I did, but it isn't what you're all thinking. Can we please focus?" Severus asked, dumping the bowl of crushed ingredients into the pot, the contents of which then turned purple and pasty. He stirred it for a moment before lifting it off of the burner, and setting it on the counter to cool.

Ginny's attention was diverted to Draco, now de-shirted, "Oh my god! What happened?!"

"Ginny, hold his head steady. I don't want him to jerk." Severus moved around the table, taking one of Draco's arms, which Harry then noticed was twisted at an odd angle. "Harry, jump up on the table, and hold him steady."

"Err…" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, like you've never done it before –just do it." Severus waited until Harry had gotten on top of the table, his knees pressed against Draco's hips, his hands pushing his shoulders back into the table. There was a disgusting cracking sound, and Harry felt Draco's shoulder pop back into place, Draco's hips straining to rise off of the table, with a slight moan escaping his lips. He swallowed deeply, as Severus repeated the motion on the other arm.

"How could he survive that?" Remus covered his mouth with his hand, watching Severus fumble for his wand to bend the breaks.

"You'd be surprised what you can live though, Remus." Silver sparks shot out of Severus's wand, setting the bones in Draco's arms.

"What…what happened to him?" Ginny asked, trying not to look at Draco's face, instead looking up at Harry, who found that he couldn't look away. "Harry…are you…are you okay?"

"Fine."

"I already popped his knees back but I didn't get a chance to mend them…" Severus ripped Draco's trouser leg, jabbing the end of the wand against his kneecap, repeating in the incantation, before looking up at Harry, "Okay…you can get off now."

Harry pulled his hands off of Draco's shoulders, sitting back for a moment before sliding off of the table. Severus picked the pot off of counter, "Ginny, let go of his head, you're not going to want this on your hands."

"What is that?" Remus asked, not familiar with the potion.

"It's a modified Mukakus potion. It'll heal just about anything. Hopefully with this, he'll wake up."

Ginny pulled her hands away from Draco's head. "Oh my god…" She stared at her hands, "He's bleeding…so much."

"…Yea, sorry about that." Severus bumped her out of his way, taking the spoon he had been stirring with, and letting it plop off as a paste, and then further liquefy to a watery consistency, and drip over Draco's open wounds. His skin turned purple for a moment before it disappeared.

"Wha' happened? Where am I?" Draco's eyes blinked, turning away from the overhead light. "Ugh…what the hell is on my head…" He went to brush his fingers though his hair, but Severus grabbed his hand.

"Don't touch it." He warned.

"What the hell happened?" Draco asked. "You promised to get me out of there…"

"I did. You're at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters."

"What?" Draco asked. "Where the hell is that at?"

"I can't tell you that until I know we can trust you fully. Do you understand that Draco?" Severus set the pot down, putting his hands on either side of Draco's head.

"Yeah…I understand." Draco tried to nod, and then winced. "Why the hell aren't you so beat up, Professor?"

"I haven't gotten around to collapsing yet." Severus moved away, unbuttoning his robes, "Just give me a couple more minutes."

Draco started to lean upwards, taking a look around, "...Sev?"

Harry clenched his teeth together, "Yea."

"What 'er you doing here?"

"I live here. And I'm not Sev anymore." He stared pointedly at Severus, "Now that you're back…you can get started on changing me back to normal."

Severus laughed, letting his robes fall to the floor leaving him , and moving to the sink, and fetching another wash cloth to wipe away the blood staining his chest, "Maybe…as soon as my brand heals over."

Remus's eyes widened, a burned outline of the dark mark covered Severus's entire chest, "What the hell is that, Severus?"

"Voldemort knew he couldn't use any of the unforgiveable curses against me –so it made it impossible for me to hide. I think it's still early enough that it won't stay. Don't fret, Remmie." Severus gave him a short smile. "Everything is just fine…" The wash cloth fell from his hand, and he slid down to the floor in front of the cupboards, his head hitting the floor with a deafening crack.

"Oh my god…" Remus flew across the floor towards him, "Sevvie…" He maneuvered Severus's head into his lap, "Ginny, go wake up Tonks. Tell her I need help."

Ginny nodded, quickly exiting the kitchen for the stairs. A few minutes later, she returned with a sleepy Tonks.

"Woz the matter, Remus? I was having a really good dream…" Tonks yawned, and then became very alert. "Holy--! How did these…where did they…what?" She stared at Severus's chest for a moment, "What happened?"

"I don't know yet, Tonks…help me get him to the couch, okay?" Remus asked. "Harry, Ginny, help Draco upstairs, okay? He can sleep in the spare room next to mine."

"Harry?" Draco looked confused, and then stared at Sev, "…Sev?"

Remus bit his lip, "We don't have time to explain right now Draco…please, go upstairs. Tonks and I will take care of Severus."

"C'mon…I'll tell you about it." Severus helped him down from the table, Ginny taking his other arm, and they made their way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the spare bedroom.

Ginny moved ahead of the two boys, "I'll, uh, go see if I can't find some extra clothes…" She left the two of them alone to sneak away into Harry and Ron's room to steal some clothes.

"What are they talking about?" Draco asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Calling you Harry…"

Harry sighed, turning away from him, "I, uh, I'm Harry Potter, Draco."

Draco laughed, "No you're not!"

Harry turned back, "I most assuredly am."

"Okay, I've been through a lot today, and this comic relief is really helping with the pain, but please…give it to me straight."

"Draco, I'm not lying to you. Last summer, I found out that Severus Snape is my father. My Mum, Lily Potter, placed a charm on me so that her husband, James, would think that I was his. That charm was taken off of me last summer."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Why should you not?"

"Prove it. Tell me something only Potter would know."

"How about that I hated your guts for five years, or that I met you in Madam Menkins when we were eleven years old; I don't know you at all before our sixth year, Draco."

"You're lying."

"Look at me, Draco." Harry put his hands on either side of Draco's face, pulling his eyes looking down into the blonde's, "You know that I'm telling you the truth."

"All I see is Sev –the guy that I love."

"And these eyes…these eyes belong to Harry Potter."

"I never got that close to Harry Potter."

"Look, you may not want to believe me, but you have to." Sev sighed, turning away from him to lean on the dresser.

"Does…does that mean that Donte…Donte isn't your brother?"

"No. Donte was Ron Weasley. He was helping me out."

"Oh…well, this explains why you two got on with Granger so well… and why you were dating Ginny…" He looked up, confused. "Did Ginny know about this?"

"She found out after Christmas. We tried to involve as few people as possible."

"…And you're really…Harry Potter?"

"Yes."

"…I had sex with Harry Potter?"

"Yes, I suppose you did."

"I made out with Harry Potter? I was…I was naked with Harry Potter?"

"Yeah, Draco, you really hit the sexual jackpot on that one."

Draco shook his head, "I can't…why would…why would Harry Potter want to do something like that? I mean, there is something there that isn't making sense to me."

"I was angry at…my Dad. I explained all of this to you the last time we spoke."

"That was _months_ ago, Sev."

"Harry."

"…Harry."

"I don't know what to tell you, Draco. I really don't. I fucked things up, and now I have to take responsibility for it. I'm really sorry, if I…messed things up for you."

"Se—Harry… You saved me." Draco stood up, touching his shoulder, to turn him to face him. "The whole time I was mucking about with the dark lord… I was hoping that, I would…impress you. Then, after Dumbledore died, I realized how stupid I had been. I wasn't winning your affection –I was pushing you even further out of my reach. I…I talked your Dad into helping me get out, and…that's how we got to be here tonight."

Harry nodded before shaking his head, "I'm sorry I can't be the man of your dreams or anything like that. I just…I just want to be a normal guy, you know?" He shrugged. "Things are looking up for me now… Ginny and I are…starting to piece back together what we had…and…"

"Harry, shut up." Draco pulled him closer, kissing him. Harry let his guard down, taking just a moment to savor the taste of Draco's mouth again, something he had missed over the last few months, before pushing him away, "No, don't. I'm not starting all of this with you again, Draco." He turned as Ginny pushed the door open. She looked embarrassed, her head down, her hair falling in front of her face, "I think these will fit you… you should wash up…. Good night." She dropped the clothes onto the bed, before turning back towards the door.

"Ginny…wait." Harry sighed, following her out. "Ginny, I'm sorry. That's not what it looked like…he kissed me…"

"Oh, shut up Harry." She shook her head. "I saw it. You enjoyed it, and you know it. Why can't you ever look like that when you kiss me? What is it that he has that I don't?"

"Gin…" He reached to grab her arm, but was brushed off.

"Don't…just…don't, Harry."

--

Everyone was awoken the next morning by Molly's shriek from the kitchen, frightened to find to find Severus already up and awake, drinking coffee and reading the paper.

"Molly! Relax!" Remus wasn't far away, already making breakfast, grabbing Molly's wand from her hand before she could think up a proper jinx. "Severus…it's not like that."

"Oh really?" Molly grabbed her wand back. "And what makes you want to take a chance on him, Remus?"

Remus crossed his arms, staring pointedly at her, "Molly, would I ever try to endanger anyone in the order, or your kids?"

Molly nodded, turning to look at Severus, "So if you're not here to kill us all…what are you doing here?"

"I needed help last night." Severus turned the page of the newspaper, "And I didn't know where else to go, Molly." He looked up at her, "And I cannot express how sorry I am, for everything it seems like I did. If you want to hex me, I don't blame you, but I already hurt more then you know."

"That's a pretty speech, out of you Severus!"

"It's not a speech, Molly. It's the truth."

Molly sniffed, turning back to where Remus was cooking, "Get away from my stove."

Remus smiled, backing away, "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it this morning…"

"Of course I would. If I hadn't been dropped off when Arthur went to work, I would have just used Floo powder. Don't be stupid, Remus."

"Okay…I _hoped_ you wouldn't have made it over today."

"That's better, Remus. It's not nice to lie."

"Is everyone coming for dinner tonight?" Severus asked.

"Yes, probably…why?" Molly asked.

"I'd like to take the opportunity then to explain what happened, even if none of them believe me."

"Oh, I think we get them to believe you…" Remus raised his eyebrow. "You know the Headmaster kept a stash of truth serum around here."

"Oh Remus, I'm not taking a truth serum!"

"Especially not one that _you_ made…" Molly pointed out. "It could be something completely different."

"That's no problem. We'll get one from Jalan."

Severus coughed into his coffee, "What?"

"Jalan…you remember Professor Jalan, Severus! You were his protégé!"

"I'm sure I'm familiar with his work –I thought he was dead!"

"Oh, no." Remus shook his head. "He's been enjoying a retirement in the tropics. We got word to him about Dumbledore's death, and he agreed to help us out. He should be arriving some time this week, actually."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes…is there a reason we shouldn't have asked Professor Jalan to help us?"

"Alaric Jalan…I can't believe you'd ask him…" Severus shook his head.

"Why shouldn't we have? He's a great man." Remus shrugged.

Severus raised an eyebrow, "He was mediocre at best."

"Oh shut up, you thought of him as a father figure, and don't think about lying about it." Remus shook his head, sitting next to him, as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stumbled in.

"Woz with all the screaming?" Ron asked, scratching his stomach and yawning, his eyes falling on Professor Snape, "Holy--! Someone call the Ministry for gods sake! Don't sit there giving him coffee!"

"Relax, Ron." Harry grabbed his arm before he could dash back out, "Hermione, you can close your mouth."

"How…how can you all be so calm? He…he's a murderer!" Hermione pointed at him, still surprised, but for once, speechless.

"I'll explain everything tonight." Severus continued with his paper. "How's Draco, this morning?"

"Draco's here too?!" Hermione's voice reached an octave higher then ever thought possible.

"Oh my god, Hermione…you could break glass with that voice." Ron covered his ears, shocked.

"Shouldn't we at least tie him up, or stick him in the basement or something?"

"Oh, Hermione…" Remus shrugged, "Please, relax… If anything happens, I will take full responsibility for it. Is that good enough for you?"

Hermione opened and closed her mouth repeatedly for a minute, trying to come up with an excuse, but wasn't able, "Er…fine. Fine…I suppose we should trust Professor Snape…even though, he…um…did some very, very horrible things." Hermione shook her head, taking the seat furthest away from him. "Err…what happened?" She finally took notice of the bandages wrapped around his torso.

"Draco and I were attacked as we were leaving the Death Eaters." Severus offered no more explanation. "I got off lightly…if you don't mind, I should probably go check on him." Severus folded his newspaper, laying it next to his coffee mug to slide back his chair.

The group watched him leave the kitchen before Ron, Hermione, and Molly all leapt at Remus.

"How could you let him back in this house?"

"Do you really believe that he's not any different?"

"Has he told you anything about why he killed Professor Dumbledore?"

"What was his excuse?"

"Stop! Stop! All of you!" Remus put his hands up to silence them. "Severus fell unconscious last night…I haven't even gotten to ask him any of these questions myself…so please. Lets just wait, and see what he has to say tonight at dinner before we judge him."

"Remus…" Molly pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. " I know you…love him, and everything, but sometimes…I think you let that get in the way of your common sense."

"Maybe, Molly…but I think Professor Dumbledore trusted him for a reason, and that reason is going to come to light tonight. So...please, bear with me?"

Molly nodded, "Fine…but I'm going to send word a head to Arthur, and the others, least they all try to hex him when they get here tonight."

"Hrm…that's probably for the best…"

--

End Note: Woot! Finished just in time before my final! Yay me! Enjoy, and leave me lots of reviews to make up for the crappy score I'm going to get on my English final!


	20. The Confusion of Young Love

A/N: My final went awesome! --Also, sorry for the very late-ish update. Winter break stuff is eating up a lot of my time, and I don't have a very good internet connection at home (stupid dial-up…).

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty

No amount of fore-warning could keep the dozen wands at bay while Severus relayed what had happened between the headmaster and himself. Some were placed on the table, as a warning, others were in hands, ready t be raised.

"I know you all probably hate me…and I'm sorry that the Headmaster couldn't tell you this before the time came, but…I made a promise to him." Severus didn't seem at all worried about the danger he was stepping into. "Last summer, after I found out about Harry being my son, we started devising tactics, he made me promise that, if the opportunity arose, in order to keep my place as a spy at the dark lord's right hand…I would have to kill him. I didn't want to do that, of course not…but I promised him, I would. After I found out that Draco was being given orders by Voldemort to kill Professor Dumbledore before he would be allowed into the ranks, I knew that it was something I would have to do before the school year was up. I'm sorry that we couldn't tell any of you…" He looked up at them, "But, if you had known, you wouldn't have reacted properly to it, and the dark lord would have gotten suspicious."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Arthur asked, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I want to believe you, Severus…Dumbledore put a lot of trust into you, and you've done a lot of hard work for us, but…something doesn't seem to click in to place in this equation."

"I'm more then willing to give you my memory." Severus shrugged. "Truth serum, anything you ask for Arthur, and I will be more then willing to cooperate."

"And what about Draco?" Ron asked. "Why did you bring him here?"

"What did you want me to do with him, Ron? Leave him there to die? I've already killed more then one person in my lifetime –I didn't want to add the death of a seventeen year old boy to that list of regrets."

"Does he know where he is?" Arthur asked.

"No. He just knows this is headquarters. He doesn't know the location. He doesn't need to know it either. I'm not sure how far gone he is, and I wouldn't compromise our location. As long as he stays inside, there is no need for him to know our location."

Arthur nodded, and turned back towards the group, "Well, I think it's safe to say that we should have a little chat before we accept you back, Severus…maybe you'd like to excuse us for a few minutes?"

Severus nodded, "Of course." He exited the kitchen, to leave the Order's make-shift council, as they all turned towards each other.

"I don't think we should trust him." Mundungus spoke up right away. "It's crazy talk."

"I don't want to believe him either, Dad." Bill Weasley shook his head, "But, something about his story makes sense."

All at once everyone was talking, Arthur nodding and shaking his head, before slapping his palms against the table. "Okay everyone! Quiet down for a moment! You've all made some very good points…but…"He turned to Harry, who had sat back in his chair and crossed his arms to listen to the bickering, "I have yet to hear from one voice in this matter… Harry? What do you think?"

Harry glanced over the faces, half of which pleaded with him to say no that it wasn't plausable, the other half pleading with him to see Severus's side of the story. Then he shook his head, "I don't know, Mr. Weasley… I want to believe his story. I think that Professor Dumbledore was more then capable of creating such a plan, but now that he's gone…we don't if it's true or not… We could go through the trouble of a truth serum, but…it would be so time consuming." He shook his head. "I think we should…welcome him back –on a few conditions of course."

"Like what?"

"I don't think he and Draco should leave the house." Harry shook his head. "No magic for either of them –except for…my Dad, to work on putting back my paternity charm."

There was a rise of chatter again, and Arthur put a stop to it a moment later, "Alright, alright… We're agreed then. Severus and Draco are welcome to stay here as long as they are ready to abide by these rues?"

There was a murmur of agreement, and Arthur nodded, "Well, then I'll go tell them the news."

--

"Thanks, Se—Harry." Draco leaned in the doorway of Harry and Ron's room where Harry was staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"For what exactly?" Harry's head tilted to look at him.

"For…you know, letting the Professor and I stay here. For believe in us, I guess."

"I never said I believed in you, Draco. I just don't want to see Remus sad any more." Harry turned back towards the ceiling.

"Look…I know that a lot has changed, since the last time we…ah, saw each other." Draco took a step into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him self. "But…I want to keep thinking of you as Sev. My Sev…and I want you to continue to just think of me as Draco…your Draco."

"I am not your property, and you are not mine."

"I've missed you." Draco sat on the edge of his bed. "I kept waiting and waiting for you to come back to my bed, and you never did."

"And I won't." Harry shook his head. "Look Draco, I will admit, this is fucking hard for me too. I want you so bad it hurts sometimes, but… Ginny is just starting to talk to me again and…and she's what I think I might really want. So please, don't fuck this up for me again, okay?"

"You think you _might_ want her."

"I know I want her."

"Just…let me make a point to you…let me prove to you that I'm what you want –what you're missing."

"No." Harry shook his head. "Because once you start…I don't know when I'll let you stop.

"What's the trouble in that?"

"Don't play around, Draco."

"Just let me kiss you then?"

"No. No kissing."

Draco stretched out along side Harry's body, running his palm underneath Harry's t-shirt, pressing his lips to his ear, "Are you doing this because you're afraid?"

"No, I am not afraid of you, Draco. I am denying you because it's about fucking time I show some self-respect."

"Please…" Draco's mouth sucked on his ear lobe, "I've been _weeks_ without a good fuck, Sev…teach me a lesson, won't you? I've been every such the bad boy…"

"Oh, knock it off." Harry shoved him off of the bed, and into a crumpled heap. "You're whole 'I've been naughty, please punish me' thing is very old."

"You used to like it." Draco groaned, pulling himself back together, before leaning on the bed. "I can show you a good time, Sev…"

"How many times do I have to tell you this, Draco. I am _Harry_."

"Funny that…I always thought you were silky smooth…" Draco moved to run his hand underneath Harry's shirt again.

"Draco…" Harry growled.

"Look…I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that you don't want this any less then I do." Draco shook his head. "Please, Harry…for the children?"

"What are you on?"

Draco pouted, pressing kisses to his former lover's lips and throat, "You taste delicious."

"You know, you're pretty frisky for someone who's just been through quite the ordeal. Maybe this is all because of how much blood you lost…"

"Maybe…we'll only know if you fuck me."

"I am not fucking you."

"What's going on?" Ron asked, pushing the door open. "Oh…err…do you want me to leave?"

"No!" Harry said at the same time Draco growled out a "Yes!"

"Errr…I just came in to grab a few things…" Ron tried not to look at them as he pulled some clothes out of a drawer, and his toothbrush, "I'll, er…just be in Hermione and Ginny's room then…g'night."

"How nice of him; leaving the room to the two of us."

"Draco…" Harry shook his head, exasperated. "I can't…I won't do this with you."

"You don't have to do a thing." Draco assured him. "Just let me do all of the work and you just lay back all sexy like you were, and reap all of the pleasure."

"That hardly seems fair." Harry realized what he said, and shook his head. "Err…no, I mean…get out of my room. You should be resting, not trying to shag me."

"I feel fine, Harry. Honest. I had a headache earlier this afternoon, but it's gone now…" Draco shook his head. "I want us to be like we were again…before all of this junk happened."

Harry shook his head, closing his eyes, "I just…I can't right now, Draco."

Draco sighed, laying his head against Harry's chest, "If you won't…have sex with me, then can I at least just…lay next to you. I won't try anything funny I promise."

"Yeah…sure, of course, Draco; if that's what it's going to take to shut you up."

Draco nodded, silent for a moment before opening his mouth again, "Err…Could you scoot over? I'm kind of falling off the edge here…"

Harry sighed, but complied, shifting towards the wall, before giving up, and snaking his arm around Draco's waist, to pull him on top of him self. Draco look startled for a second, until Harry scoffed, "I know that's what you really wanted."

"You know me far to well…" Draco grinned, moving to kiss him before stopping himself. "…Right, sorry. I promised, didn't I?"

Harry nodded, "You did."

"But…I think it might be worth mentioning that you didn't make any promises…And it's becoming increasingly _hard _to keep my hands…and my mouth away from yours."

"Hands are fine. It's the lips I'm afraid of." Harry couldn't help but to flirt back with Draco.

"Hmm…I think hands could be just as dangerous." Draco laid his head back against Harry's chest.

"Draco…every part of you is dangerous."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Hmm…" Harry lifted his hand to brush his fingers over Draco's hair, biting his tongue.

"What's the matter?"

"…I don't think this is a good idea."

"You never think anything we do is a good idea." Draco smiled softly.

"Maybe you should go." Harry let his hands fall away from Draco's hair, and he turned his face away again, towards the wall so he wouldn't have to look at the blonde anymore.

"Do you want me to leave?" Draco asked. "Or are you to afraid to let me stay?"

Harry turned back to him, "A little of the first…and a lot of the second."

"You shouldn't be afraid." Draco shook his head. "Have I ever hurt you in the past? Have I ever done anything that you didn't like… excluding that one time, of course." Draco nuzzled Harry under the chin, "You've always liked everything we've done before, haven't you?"

"Draco…" Harry shook his head, "This is…this different. I don't know if I can trust you anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about this." Harry took Draco's wrist, pushing down his sleeve to brush his thumb over the dark green skull and snake. "Draco…you could have died, you were supposed to kill Professor Dumbledore…"

"But I didn't." Draco sat back, shaking his head. "Instead, I ran away like a fucking coward."

"Would you rather be a murderer?"

Draco shook his head, getting up off of the bed, "Fine, if that's the way that you feel... I'll go. I'm sorry I bothered you. I should have known better." He leaned back down to give him a soft kiss. "I, uh, I won't come back."

Harry nodded, "That's probably for the best."

Draco took a few steps towards the door, pausing as his fingertips touched the door knob before he turned back, "You know, I'm not the only one to blame here."

"I never blamed you for anything, Draco."

"You may not be blaming be verbally, Harry, but I can see in your eyes. I'm sorry that you hate me so much." The door closed loudly behind him, and Harry groaned, turning his face over into the pillow.

--

"Ron…told me that, uh, Draco was in your room last night." Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look anywhere but at him in the empty kitchen.

"Err…yeah, he was." Harry looked up from the cup of coffee he had just poured for himself, grimacing at taste.

"So, what happened? I mean, are you two back to your old tricks, or are you actually respecting the fact that I'm still completely in love with you and I want…I want us to be together."

"Ginny, nothing happened." Harry shook his head. "He came in, we talked, and he left."

"Why do you feel you have to hide things from me?" Ginny asked. "I know what you've, you know, done. Why can't you just tell me if you fucked him last night? It's okay with me."

"Is it really?" Harry asked, taking another drink of the coffee.

"Even if it's not…I mean, it should be. It's part of who you are, and I need to learn to…respect that."

"Gin, nothing happened last night. I said…the wrong things, and he left."

"The wrong things about what exactly, Harry?"

"I can't talk about this with you Ginny."

"Why? Why not? Who can you talk about this to if not me?"

"Anyone but you Ginny! Can't you see that?" Harry dumped his coffee cup in the sink, shaking his head. "I can't talk to the girl I want to have sex with about the boy I'm trying so hard _not_ to have sex with. It doesn't work out that way."

"If it…if it helps, I don't, you know, think it's wrong anymore."

"My feelings for Draco are beyond _wrong_." Harry shook his head, throwing the coffee mug to shatter across the kitchen floor, sinking to the floor, scraping his fingers through his hair. "_God_ Ginny, don't you get it? Stop pushing me!"

"I-I'm sorry." Ginny knelt down onto the floor beside him, pulling his hands away from his head and back into his lap. "I don't mean to push you, Harry. I just…I want us to be together."

"And I don't want for you to have to suffer through all of this…this shit with me, Gin. Find yourself a real boyfriend…one that can love you –and just you forever."

"Harry…do you really love him too?" Ginny asked, biting her lip. "I mean, fucking him is one thing, but if you love him…"

"I don't know Gin. I just don't fucking know anymore."

"What happened in here?" Tonks ignored the two of them on the floor, side stepping past the broken ceramic mug, making her way towards the coffee pot. "You two get into a little spat; how simply adorable to be young and in love." She sighed.

"It's not what you think, Tonks." Ginny put her hands on her knees, pushing herself up from the ground. "Sorry about the mess, I'll pick it up."

"Just leave it." Harry grabbed her wrist before she could move for the broom. "I broke it, I'll pick it up. Just give me a minute."

Ginny nodded with a shrug, "Okay, whatever you say." She pulled her wrist from his grasp, and exited towards the foyer.

"So…what were you two fighting about?" Tonks asked, taking a drink of her coffee, watching Harry go for the broom and dustpan, "Or was it something private I'm not supposed to know about?"

"It was…er…private. But apparently not private enough that other people don't know about it, I guess." Harry shrugged, sweeping the broken pieces together into a neat little pile. "I, uh, suppose you know about…err…Draco. And what happened between us at school."

"Hrm…I think I remembering hearing a bit about it. Did he try something funny with you last night?"

"I would hardly call it 'funny', Tonks." Harry shrugged, crouching to sweep the bits of mug into the dustpan, "He is…very hard to resist."

"But you're trying to be a good boy so you can have a good shag with Ginny before the summer is over?"

"Tonks!"

"Well, it's true isn't it? I see the way you two look at one another –and she is pretty fine looking for a lady, I suppose." Tonks raised an eyebrow. "But I suppose if I were that young again, Draco wouldn't be to bad of a catch either, now would he?"

Harry nodded, "They're both very, err…attractive."

"I can't say I've ever been in such a dilemma…" Tonks mused. "But it sounds very interesting."

"It's shit. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone."

Tonks smiled, patting his shoulder as he threw the last of the mug it to the rubbish bin, "You'll figure it out, Harry. You're a smart boy. Just follow your heart, and not your head…it gets to muddied up in here sometimes." She tapped his forehead, "So it's better to just listen right here." She tapped his chest. "But really, never resort to listening to the old 'how's your father', okay?"

"Excuse me?"

"Err…what?"

"Sorry, I've been waiting for a chance to use that euphemism all day –I think it's time someone brought it back."

"I don't even know what that bloody means…" Harry shook his head.

"Oh –don't listen to your dick, Harry. It doesn't actually care." She patted his head this time. "Well, I'm off to the ministry. I've got a big day ahead and all that jazz –I'll see you at dinner, Harry!"

"Umm…later then." Harry nodded, and then shook his head as Tonks left. "How's your father…who in the world thought that up?"

--


	21. The Proposition After a Chat

A/N: …Hrm…I don't know what to say. Oh wells. To be honest, I'm not sure where this is going right now. I'm just trying to get back into a flow. I apologize if this crap. I was really just…going with an idea I had.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-One

"I've heard a rumor, Draco." Severus leaned in his bedroom doorway a few hours after the incident in the kitchen between Harry and Ginny. He was still heavily bandaged, and looked much like he had the summer before. "And one that I wasn't thinking I would be likely to hear again."

"Oh? And what is that Professor?" Draco looked up from the book he had been reading.

"I don't want you bothering Harry anymore." Severus shook his head. "And I'm saying that as his _Father_ not as a head-of-house or anything. If you hurt my son, I won't think twice about killing you."

Draco looked slightly amused, "Why would I want to hurt him? I like him, a lot actually."

Severus shook his head, "I'm just warning you Draco. Everything that happens in this house, and anywhere else…it gets back to me. Eventually."

"Is this about what happened at school? Because, he's forgiven me for that, and we haven't done anything since then."

"I think we all have different views of what 'anything' is, Mr. Malfoy."

"Oh?"

"For instance…a Miss Ginny Weasley would like to you know that if you so much as look at her boyfriend that it puts her under a great deal of distress."

"And what about you Professor Snape, what makes the difference between your son being faithful to Miss Ginny, and being a lying bastard?"

"My son isn't to be blamed for you being such a slut, Draco."

Draco smiled, nodding, "Touché."

"You may think that this funny or something, but I am being quite serious."

"I'm sorry –it's hard to take a man who is standing before me in little else then his trousers seriously."

"Hmm." Severus nodded. "Then let me just finish by recapping…Touch my son, and you die. I would risk being run out of this house for that. Understand?"

Draco nodded, "Of course. I wouldn't dream of disobeying your rules, sir."

"Good." Severus nodded. "I'm glad you're seeing things this way."

--

"Err…what's going on?" Harry was surprised when Hermione shoved him down onto a bed, closing the door behind themselves, "Are we having a party?"

"We're tired of the adults, so…yes." Ron nodded from the other bed where Draco was already sitting, Ginny comfortable on the floor, and Hermione just making herself comfortable on the other end of Harry's bed. "We thought it would be fun to just hang out among ourselves."

"But, we hang out among ourselves all of the time." Harry shrugged.

"We thought, er…maybe we could sort out this whole…issue." Ginny looked up, brushing her hair off of her forehead, "Between…us. And him." Her head tilted towards Draco.

"Oh jeez…just how I want to spend my afternoon –arguing with all of my friends. No thanks." Harry started to stand, but Hermione grabbed him back.

"Harry, sit down!" Hermione sighed. "Ron and I are here to help, but we can leave the three of you alone if you really like."

"I don't want to talk about this, okay? Ginny, I am yours completely… There is nothing going on between Draco and me any more… Right Draco?"

Draco begrudgingly nodded.

"See?"

"But, you still have feelings for him!" Ginny shook her head. "We can't be a real couple if you're having feelings for another boy!"

"Why not, Gin? Other couples do it all the time, I'm sure."

"Harry…" Ginny shook her head. "If you're still all attached to him, then…how do I know you're not setting up expectations for me? I mean, can I ever be as good as he is?"

"Good as me at what? I'm good at lots of thing." Draco mused. "Quidditch, potions, transfiguration, arithmetic, language, art, music…"

"Shagging." Ginny crossed her arms.

Draco scoffed, "Pfft! No one is as good as me at shagging Ginny, old girl!"

"Draco, don't be so full of your self." Harry rolled his eyes before turning back to Ginny, "Just because I slept with Draco doesn't mean that I want the same thing from you Ginny. I mean it is two different kinds of sex all together."

"Exactly! How do you know that I'll even be any good at it!"

"Well, if you're anything like your mother… I mean, you have to assume that she must be pretty good with all of the siblings you have…" Draco shrugged, and groaned as Ron punched him in the side.

"Don't talk about my mother like that!"

"Ugh…did you have to punch me there? Fuck! I was just attacked by crazy Death Eaters a few days ago…" Draco groaned, leaning back against the wall. "Jeez…"

"Say something about my mother like that again, and I'll do more then punch you, Draco."

"I thought we were friends, Weasley… I mean, you weren't so bad when you were Don…Fuck, it hurts."

Harry sighed, "Don't be such a baby."

"Holy shit, I'm bruising…" Draco lifted the edge of his shirt to display the purplish mark.

"That's been there for a few days now, Draco." Ron rolled his eyes. "Remember the Death Eater attack."

"Well now it's worse! Fuck it all…" Draco grunted again, pulling his shirt down and sitting up straighter on the bed again. "Sorry…err..what were we saying before I was rudely manhandled?"

"I think you two should just get it out of your systems." Hermione shook her head. "I mean, fuck each other until you just can't stand it anymore, and go your separate ways."

"Excuse me?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You and Draco… I mean, if you do it enough, eventually you'll get so sick of coming all over each other that you'll get sick of the sight of each other, and never want to hook up again."

"But…what if I don't get sick of it?" Draco asked. "I've seen Harry come lots of times, and I rather enjoy it."

"Don't be disgusting." Ginny grimaced. "I don't want to think about either one of you coming...especially not together."

"Don't be such a prude, Gin-gin." Draco rolled his eyes. "How do you expect to have sex with your boyfriend if you can't even think about him coming? You're going to see it at one time or another –and let me tell you—"

"I'd rather you didn't tell me anything." Ginny shook her head.

"Who said I was going to fuck Ginny? Harry asked, surprised.

"Why wouldn't you fuck me?" Ginny asked.

"That's not what I meant…" Harry shook his head. "I just mean…it's not like we're going to have sex tomorrow or anything…it's not like you have to warm to the idea over night…and as for you Draco, don't tell her anything!"

"Don't tell me you think sex is gross too."

"Of course sex isn't gross –if it was, I wouldn't have done it."

"At least not multiple times."

"Oh my god…shut up." Ginny covered her ears. "I don't want to know how many times you did it, I don't want to know where, or what you did, and I certainly don't want to know that any of it was done more then once."

"You really are a prude, aren't you sis?" Ron smiled.

"I am not a prude!"

"If you aren't a prude…then why does it bother you so much that that we slept together?" Draco asked, shaking his head. "If anything, I'm the one who should be angry here –we started hooking up long before you asked him out."

"That's beside the point."

"Do you think it's…unnatural for two boys to seek each others company? What is it about this, Ginny, that bothers you? Seriously now…"

"I guess I don't like it, because…I don't understand it." Ginny shrugged, trying to keep a level head about her self.

"What don't you understand?" Draco asked.

"I guess I don't understand why Harry would prefer you over me."

Draco shrugged, "Did he ever say that he did? I think he's made it pretty clear that he likes us both about the same. Don't you?" He looked up at Harry.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know how I feel about either of you. I just…I know I like both of you a lot. More then a lot actually."

"But why? Why can't you just…pick one of us?" Ginny asked, raking her fingers through her hair, "I mean, one of us has to be better then the other…"

"Why is that?" Draco asked. "Why can't you just accept that, and leave it alone? I can, Ginny. We could all be really happy together, you know, if you weren't such a monogamist bitch."

"Hey, don't talk to my sister like that." Ron hit him in the side again.

"What is wrong with monogamy? Just because I don't want to share my boyfriend doesn't mean that I'm a bitch." Ginny shook her head.

"Look…I want both of you to stop fighting over me. I don't know what I want. You should both move on." Harry stood up. "I'm tired of you arguing over me. I am not going to be able to make this decision, alright? If you were both in danger of falling off a cliff, you'd both die, because I couldn't save just one of you. Yes, Ginny, I slept with Draco, and I really, really liked it, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like sleeping with you either. Draco, stop using that against her –it doesn't mean you're better then her. …Now, if you don't mind, I think we should talk about something else."

Hermione and Ron looked at one another, raising their eyebrows.

"Err…maybe we should leave the three of you to finish this? I mean, you're making a lot of progress." Ron started to get up.

"No. No more progress." Harry shook his head. "Talk about something else. All of us."

"Do you really want me to move on, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"But…if I move on, then that leaves you free to shag Draco, doesn't it?"

Harry smiled softly shaking his head, "No. But I suppose I would be easier if one of you would just be the bigger person."

"I'm not let him go." Draco shook his head, staring at Ginny. "I would die first."

"Well, then I guess our battle will continue to rage, now won't it?"

Harry sighed, shaking his head, "Oh my god, you two. You're going to drive me mad, and then no one shall have me."

"Good." Ginny nodded. "Not about going mad, but the other bit."

"You would rather Harry was driven mad in St. Mungo's then to live a healthy, normal life?"

"I doubt anything about Harry is normal, Draco; especially since you came into his life."

Draco smiled, shaking his head, "You're one tough nut, Gin-gin…but let me ask you something…no, show you something." He stood up, grabbing her by the hands to pull her up against his chest, tilting her face upwards towards his and capturing her mouth with his. Hermione gasped, and Ron coughed loudly while Harry covered his eyes, shaking his head.

"W-wha...what woz what?" Ginny asked, taking a step back from him, hitting her hip against Harry's dresser trying to regain herself once Draco had released her.

"Pretty good, right? See…I like doing that with Se—Harry. A lot, actually, if you don't mind me saying, and if I'm correct, he rather enjoys it too."

"What was the point of that?"

"Are you really going to deny him mind-blowing kisses such as that? Are you that cruel, Ginny?"

"Umm…er…"

"You're not bad yourself, Red." Draco winked, sitting back down next to Ron. "Would anyone else care for a demonstration? I haven't gotten to do that in quite a bit…"

"No thank you, Draco." Hermione shook her head. "I think I have been psychologically scarred quite enough for one day."

"I would, but since my girlfriend is right there, I think it would be a bit odd." Ron shrugged.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped to attention.

"What? I can't help but wonder –I'm the one that got Harry into this whole mess in the first place. I didn't think you'd go for him, Gin." Ron shrugged at his sister.

"Hmm…" Draco shrugged. "Maybe some other time then, yes?" He raised an eyebrow at Ron suggestively, and Ron blushed a bright shade of red. "Don't be embarrassed. I used to like you more then I liked Harry anyway –before Sev and all that."

"R-really?" Hermione asked. "If you liked them, why were you always so mean to us?"

"I had a reputation to uphold! Besides, I couldn't very well go shagging a Gryffindor could I? Before the four of you went and broke the mold that is." Draco shook his head. "Disturbing, the whole lot of you; I can't believe I didn't guess what was going on sooner. It all makes a lot of sense now.

"Do you think we could possibly move on to another subject; anything that doesn't revolve around relationships at any rate?" Harry shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. We're to far gone." Ron shook his head, "You alright Gin? You're turning quite the violent shade of red over there."

"I...err, I'm fine. Don't mind me." Ginny pressed her hands against her cheeks. "I'm, still a bit shell-shocked is all, I guess."

"Was it that good?" Hermione asked.

"Surprising is all."

"Funny…I don't think I've ever really kissed a girl before." Draco touched his lips. "Hmm…you may be enough to make me rethink my sexual orientation, Ginny Weasley."

"Oh good, the two of you can hook up, and leave me alone." Harry sighed with a feigned relief.

"Don't be silly…we'd become a three-some. Wouldn't we Gin-gin?" Draco moved across to squeeze in next to Harry, and tugged Ginny closer, putting his arm around her waist, giving Harry a very unchaste kiss, before turning back to Ron and Hermione, "We'd be quite cute, wouldn't we?"

"Disturbingly so." Ron agreed.

"It would make for an interesting pornographic story." Hermione moved from the bed to sit next to Ron, giving the trio more room.

"Thanks but no thanks." Ginny shook her head, pulling herself from Draco's arm to sit on the furthest edge of Harry's bed, "I think I still prefer monogamy."

"Polygamy isn't bad." Draco shook his head. "It's a lot more fun anyway."

"Says the biggest slut to ever grace the halls of Hogwarts." Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." Draco scoffed.

"I figured you might." Harry shrugged.

"So, Gin… What do you like in a relationship? Obviously you're all monogamist-heterosexual."

"I am in _my_ relationships anyway. I'm not saying that homosexuality is a bad thing, Draco, I just don't want it to be flaunted at me is all."

"Does it really bother you, Ginny?" Hermione asked. "I think two boys can be quite sexy."

"Oh really; is that right?" Ron raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, if they're both attractive, and not twinks, yes."

"Err…what is a twink?" Ron asked.

"Well…they usually are teens, or look like they're underage; very malnourished looking actually." Hermione cringed.

"Oh, so they look like Harry?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Harry doesn't look malnourished –and after seeing the way he eats…"

"Are you saying I'm fat?" Harry spoke up. "It's this body, Hermione. It's like a bottomless pit. I keep trying to _gain_ weight so I'm not so sickly thin, but it doesn't work."

"I think you look very attractive." Draco winked at him.

"I think we are all quite aware of what _you_ think, Draco." Ginny rolled her eyes. "And as for it being…sexy, I'm sure given the right…people, two men can be quite attractive. However, I don't think I want my boyfriend to be that type of man."

"You know Gin…I wouldn't mind it at all if you were to tell me you fooled around with another girl." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm encouraging you…just, you know…" He shrugged.

"That is why men and women are so very different, Harry." Ginny shook her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Women have standards, and men like to wank off to lesbian fantasies."

"I never said anything about wanking off." Harry scoffed.

"Ginny, you really should take pity on him, and just forgive him to be who he is. I mean, the last time we really had sex, Harry wasn't really a willing party."

"Exactly –so why are you still hot and bothered for him?" Ginny pointed an accusing finger at Harry. "He _raped_ you for gods' sake!"

"It's complicated." Harry shrugged.

"This whole business is complicated rubbish –why don't we just forget that anything after last September happened and just start fresh?" Draco suggested.

"You then realize that Ginny would… 'win' so to speak, by default."

"How's that?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've known her a lot longer, and you are of course my archenemies."

"But I find you so awfully sexy, Harry…"

"Ugh…you make me sick. I think I need to go do something more constructive." Ginny shook her head, stepping towards the door.

"Does that mean you forfeit?"

"I forfeit nothing, Malfoy! Keep your slimy hands off my boyfriend!"

"I love how she just throws that word around… I thought you two had broken up…" Draco mused.

"We got back together…sort of, after you left." Harry shrugged.

"Hrm…Pity."

"You are so full of yourself."

"I can't help it if I am hormonally sex driven."

"You need to control yourself."

"I try." Draco shrugged. "I'm used to having a lot of options."

Harry bit is lip, trying to keep from kissing the sulky, boyish looking Draco, "I, err...I'm going to go see if Ginny is alright."

"I'm sure she's fine." Ron spoke up.

"Maybe now would be a good time to let her know that your Dad already made me promise to keep my hands off of you anyway?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"He stopped by my room this morning and warned me that if I so much as touched you, he'd kill me. He seemed quite series, despite his lack of a shirt."

Harry shook his head, "I can't believe he'd say something like that."

"He seems to genuinely care about you." Draco shrugged. "I…I'm sort of jealous."

"What do you mean, jealous?" Harry scoffed.

"Your Dad, he cares about you. Mine doesn't give a shirt." Draco scoffed.

"You're nuts, you're like your Dad's pride and joy."

Draco laughed, "Maybe before…but after I couldn't kill Dumbledore? He was part of the party that chased Severus and I down. He doesn't care about me."

Harry looked at Draco, and then at Ron and Hermione –the only two people in the room that were keeping him from acting on what his body was telling him to was right…was what he wanted, "Um…could you two go…make sure that Ginny is OK? I need to talk to Draco alone for a minute."

"Sure." Ron nodded, standing and pulling Hermione along behind him. "Have fun, mate." He raised an eyebrow, clapping him on the shoulder as he pulled the door shut behind the two of them.

"Your Dad doesn't hate you, Draco." Harry shook his head.

"What do you know about my father, Harry?" Draco asked. "You see…his money, his power, his good looks… but do you see the _father_, Harry? The loving-fucking-father in Lucius Malfoy?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I uh…I guess I don't, but…if my Dad can love me, then I think yours can love you."

"So you'll admit it to yourself that he loves you?"

"I don't understand how he can justify a love for me. Not after all of the shit he put me through in my first five years at Hogwarts, but…I can accept that he has affection for me. Call it love if you want."

Draco was quiet for a moment, making himself comfortable on Harry's bed, sitting back to watch him before he spoke up again, "Do you love your Dad, Harry?"

Harry thought for a moment, "I don't…I don't know. It's hard to think about loving someone you've hated, feared…been so angry with for such a long time… But, I see that he's different then what I expect him to be."

"He is. A lot different, I mean. Even though he was the head of Slytherin… I thought I knew him, but after you, Sev, came…It was like he was completely different. He was this…family man. And he's trying, really hard, Harry, to make you see that change."

Harry nodded, "I don't want you listen to him."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want you to leave me alone. I may not be able to…choose between you and Ginny right now, but I like what we have…had."

"I liked it too." Draco nodded, "But, you've got a little red-head who wants you…no, needs you. More then I do."

"Draco…" Harry sat on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Hey…I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be around for your trysts. I like our trysts." Draco sat up, pressing a kiss to his lips, "But, I'll be man… Ginny loves you. And I want what's best for you. Professor Snape is working on changing you back, and… I don't know if I even want to sleep with Harry Potter. I like Sev Snape too much. Maybe, you changing back will be a good thing. Sev is dead. Long live Harry."

"Don't say that." Harry shook his head. "I…I don't want that."

"I don't either. I love you…just the way you are. The way you were meant to be." Draco shook his head. "And…if you can't be happy _exactly_ the way you are then…you're better off with Ginny, because… I want Sev."

"Draco…"

"No, I'm serious." Draco shook his head. "Ginny can be happy with either of them, and…I can't. I just, I can't. When you were Harry Potter, you were cute, unattainable, with a little side kick whose pants I wanted to get into… But I got close to Sev, I tasted him, I touched him ways no one has ever touched him."

"So…you don't want me at all if I go back to Harry Potter. That's my punishment for deceiving you?"

"It's not a punishment; I'm telling you the truth."

Harry nodded, "If…I find out when my Dad will be done with the potion to change me back…and I ask Ginny…will you be with me until then at least? It probably won't be long, but…it's better then just…you know." Harry shook his head.

Draco nodded. "If it's OK with Ginny, I'll fuck your brains out until then. That's what you want isn't it?"

Harry looked up, before nodding, "Yeah, I guess so."

"And if Ginny says no?" Draco brushed Harry's hair back away from his face.

"Then fuck Ginny and I'll stay like this forever." Harry shook his head, taking Draco's face between his palms, and kissing him fiercely.

--

"You want to…what?" Ginny asked.

The two of them were in the bathroom, the only place you were guaranteed some privacy in the entire house, and even then it was questionable.

Harry nodded, "You heard me Ginny. It's just until Severus figures out how to replace my paternal charm. At the most, it would be for a couple of weeks. I…I just want to get him out of my system, like Hermione said."

"So, I'm supposed to ignore the fact that my boyfriend is fucking another guy for a couple of weeks?" Ginny nodded. "Yea…brilliant."

"Ginny, once I'm back to being Harry Potter, this thing with me and Draco will be over. He only wants Sev."

Ginny nodded, "And if I say no?"

"Then I'm going back to him anyway."

"Then you really aren't leaving me much of a choice are you?" Ginny asked, shaking her head. "Go ahead, Harry. I don't give a shit anymore –but, the second that you are Harry-fucking-Potter again, I never want to hear anything about Draco Malfoy ever again, do you understand?"

Harry nodded, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Thank you Ginny."


	22. The Couple

Note: I might add an additional, more graphic version of this chapter to my Yahoo!Group. I'll let you know if I do. Also, you have NO idea how weird it was to write this whilst watching Full House. Hrm… Also, I have obviously been watching to much Ouran High School Host Club because Draco is starting to talk like a host… Egad!

Also, I know how this is going to end…but it'll be a while, so bare with me. I've still got another good…5-10 chapters in me.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter 22

After leaving Ginny, an excited bounce in his step, Harry made his way down stairs to the kitchen, hovering in the open doorway, staring at Severus who was between scribbling in a notebook and throwing things into a pot on the stove.

It took a moment for Severus to notice him hovering in the doorway, raising an eyebrow slightly before speaking, "Is there a reason you are hovering in the doorway like a three year old?"

"Err…I, uh, just had a question." Harry didn't make a move to come any further into kitchen, sulking backwards, unsure of why he was so nervous all of a sudden.

Severus sighed, picking up his wand to stir the pot, "Yes? What it is?"

"When do you think you'll be done with the potion?"

"I'm not sure, hopefully sometime next week. Why do you ask?"

"What did you say to Draco this morning?"

Severus was quiet, nodding, "Ah, that's what this is about."

"You can't just order him around like that, especially when it concerns me."

"I was just looking out for you."

"Well don't, okay? I'm almost seventeen. I'm almost an adult."

"Exactly –almost isn't all the way. You are still sixteen, you are still a child."

"I am _not_ a child. Never call me a child!"

"I'll treat you as you apparently want to be treated when you can prove to me that you've earned that. You're being very contradictory right now; hovering in the doorway like a toddler, yelling at me like an angst-ridden teenager…"

Harry took a deep breath, stepping into the kitchen, clenching his fists at his sides, "Fine…as a level headed equal, and your _son_ I am asking this of you. Please, do not come between Draco and me again, alright?"

Severus turned his head, his hair falling past his face giving him a very daunting appearance, "Hmm…I could agree to that…but what is really going on here?"

"Why can't you just trust my judgment?"

"Why don't you trust mine? I wouldn't come between the two of you, if there wasn't a reason for it."

Harry sighed, "Why then? Why would you do that?"

"There are things about the Malfoy family that you don't know."

"Draco isn't like his father." Harry shook his head. "I don't know…a lot. I'll admit that, but you can't judge Draco because of things his family has done."

Severus nodded, pulling down his wand again to pick up the pot, turning it over in the sink, "Tell me what's going on." He dropped the pot loudly in the sink, turning to cross his arms over his bandaged chest. "Why are you bringing this up at all? You're dating Ginny again, remember?"

Harry shook his head, "You don't…understand at all, do you?"

"I understand more then you think I do."

"Look, I know that I love Ginny, but I can't ignore my feelings for Draco."

"I'm not telling you to ignore them. I'm asking you to make the _right_ choice."

"How do you know that Draco isn't the right choice?"

"I don't…but stop listening to what your _head_ is telling you is right and listen to your heart."

"You say that and expect it to mean something to me, to help me, but surprisingly, it really doesn't. Do you really think that you understand what's going on inside of my head?"

"I was your age once, too. It's probably hard to believe, but I've been in similar situations."

"But you were able to choose. I'm fixing this myself, alright?"

Severus held back a scoff, "And how are you doing that?"

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, "I don't have to tell you anything."

Severus smiled, "Afraid that I'll prematurely judge you for your method?"

"No. I just don't want you thinking that Draco is a slimeball."

"I already think that." Severus shrugged "Well, not a 'slimeball' exactly, but something equally unsavory."

Harry shook his head, "He told me doesn't want Harry Potter."

Severus nodded understanding, "And you can accept that?"

"I guess I have no choice, do I?"

"And…what if I can't change you back?"

"Then you can change me to something else."

"Is that what you want, Harry? Do you want to simply run away from your problems by changing the way that you look? Who do you want to next time? A Weasley to keep Ginny at bay? Perhaps you would like me to talk to Remus or Tonks. Join their families for a bit." Severus laughed lightly. "Just give me the word, and I'll whip it for you. Abuse of magical power is apparently my forte."

"I'm not abusing magic."

"Sure you are. You think magic can fix your problems. Once you're someone new, even if just for a little while, everything is going to fall into place –isn't that what you think?"

"No, of course not; you're taking what I said out of context."

"No." Severus shook his head. "You meant what you said. I can turn you into anyone you want. Hermione could probably turn you into anyone you wanted, if she tried hard enough…"

Harry looked down at the floor, closing his eyes, "…I'm sorry. I-I don't…" He sighed before looking up again, "I didn't come down here to get into a fight with you."

"Then why did you come down here?"

Harry shook his head again, "…I don't know why I bother with you."

"Frankly, I don't know either. I obviously never say anything that you want to hear."

"Obviously not." Harry agreed, turning to exit the kitchen, leaning against the wall, just outside, collecting himself. He waited until he heard Severus turn on the sink to wash the pot he had been testing his theories in before he made his way up the stairs.

--

"How'd it go?" Draco was waiting for him when he entered his room a few minutes later.

"What?" Harry asked, playing stupid.

"With Ginny…what did she say?"

"She wasn't happy…" He shrugged, sitting next to him again. "But…she said OK."

"And your Dad? How long?"

He shrugged, "He said it might be done sometime next week, but he's not completely sure."

"Mmm…then let's not waste any time?" Draco smiled, pulling him closer, kissing him.

"…Draco…" Harry put his hands against his chest, not really pushing him away, but more like holding him at bay. "Why do you like me so much, when I…look like this?"

Draco tilted his head, brushing his thumbs over Harry's cheeks, "Why wouldn't I? What's so wrong with the way you look? You look beautiful."

"Don't lie to me." He shook his head. "You couldn't possibly be attracted to me."

Draco smiled, shaking his head, "I'm not lying…you can't think I'm in love with you just because of the way you look."

"Then what; what is it that makes me so attractive to you?"

"Everything from the way you look, the way you feel under my hands, the way you taste in my mouth… I love how smart you are, I love how angst-ridden you can get, I love it when you brush your hair out of your face."

Harry nodded, "And before…why did you like Ron and not me?"

"Harry…"

"No, I want to know. What made him so much more attractive?"

Draco smiled, "I was attracted to how loyal to you he is. You were always together, always had each other's back. And his hair… You wouldn't believe how many times I wanted to lure him into an empty corridor, take a fist full of his hair, yank his head back, and just devour his mouth…"

"Do you still like him?"

Draco shrugged, "He's alright… He doesn't begin to compare to you though. Why are we talking about this?"

"I was just wondering."

Draco nodded, "Are you feeling a little…discouraged?"

"I guess I just don't understand."

"Understand what?" Draco let his hands slide from Harry's face, across his shoulders, and down his arms. "What makes you so damn adorable?"

"What makes you so fucking special." Harry looked up. "I don't understand my feelings for you. Everyone keeps telling me how wrong for me you are…and I don't understand why you can't just want who I am. You say that like me for more then what I look like, so why won't you love me after I'm back to being Harry Potter? Why should I agree to these stupid terms you keep setting up? Are you actually going to leave me alone after this, or are we going to keep playing this stupid elaborate game? When I'm back to being Harry Potter, you may be able to just move on, but how am I supposed to do that? You're just dumping me on my ass, expecting me to move back to Ginny just as fast--!"

"Whoa…calm down." Draco silenced him with a kiss. "Shh…" Another short kiss, and Draco pressed his forehead against Harry's, "Relax."

"You say to do that like it's easy."

"I'm sorry about all of this. This isn't easy for me either, and I don't want you to think that it is."

"It isn't?"

"Of course not; I don't want this anymore then you do but I don't want to hold you back. You belong with Ginny. The two of you are adorable together."

Harry shook his head, "I don't want you to leave…"

"I'm not leaving you, Harry. I'm letting you go."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"It's your choice if you want to stay…but you have to tell me that…and you have to Ginny that you've made a decision."

"…Fuck." Harry sighed, pulling away from Draco to fall back onto his pillow. "This is all...changing so fast. I mean, just an hour ago, I couldn't make up my mind, and now I think I have, but who knows where my head is going to be in five minutes."

Draco shifted, straddling Harry's hips between his knees, leaning over him, one hand on Harry's chest, the other pressing into the pillow near his head, "I know where _I_ want your head in five minutes…"

"Fuck, Draco…"

"Mmm, exactly…" Draco nodded, tracing his tongue across Harry's jaw, "You said this is what you wanted…and I am more then prepared to give it to you."

"….Fuck." Harry repeated, wrapping his arms around Draco's waist, pulling him down against him, and rolling over to pin him down underneath him and kissing him again.

"Does this mean you aren't having a mental breakdown anymore?"

Harry nodded, "No…I can put it on hold under _after_ one of us has possibly been fucked to death…hopefully me, if you play your cards right."

"Oh, I hope not…I don't want to get left screwing a corpse. That's disgusting."

"Oh c'mon, you're not into necrophilia? Damn." Harry teased.

"You're revolting." Draco smiled. "I can't believe you just said that."

"I can't believe you keep talking." Harry shook his head.

Draco laughed, "I'll try my best to shut my mouth…"

--

"Whoa…I heard you two had been doing some making up, but jeez…" Ron shielded his eyes as he walked into his and Harry's room a few hours later before dinner. "Mum wanted me to come tell you that dinner is ready…should you feel up to you know, putting on some clothes, and making your way downstairs."

Harry looked over his shoulder at Ron, "We'll be there in few minutes." He tried to ignore Draco's fingers continuing to stroke him underneath their covers. "Eh, Draco…knock it off."

"Oh jeez…" Ron shook his head, "I think I am emotionally scarred for life now."

"This is coming from the boy who wanted to kiss me earlier…" Draco reminded him.

"Yeah, well…I didn't did I?"

"You could." Draco smiled down at Harry, licking his lips. "Harry wouldn't mind…would you?"

Harry shrugged, "They're your lips."

Draco grinned, pulling their covers around his waist, to lean forward, Harry tugging just enough to keep himself covered as Draco grabbed for Ron's wrist.

"Hey, wait…I never actually!" Ron was surprised as Draco yanked him onto the bed, pulling him across both him and Harry, pressing their lips together, raking his fingers through Ron's bright red hair.

A few moments later, Draco released him again, Ron's cheeks as red as his hair.

"Bloody hell…" Ron took a deep breath, trying to steady himself between the two of them as Draco turned his face back into Harry's shoulder, nuzzling his neck.

"My dreams were dashed." Draco nipped at Harry's ear. "He was better in my dreams."

"You caught me by surprise!" Ron tried to defend himself, before realizing his situation. "Blimey! Are you both naked under there!"

"Hmm…" Draco made a noise of agreement. "You can't very well do what we've been up to with clothes on, now can you?"

"…How am I supposed to get up now?"

"I would say the same way you got on here, but I'm pretty sure that's impossible." Harry smiled. "Watch where you're putting your knees."

"Knock knock!" Hermione pushed open the door, then shut it just as quickly. "What the hell!"

"It's not what it looks like Hermione!" Ron swung his leg over his other one, awkwardly rolling from the bed, just finding success in his endeavor not to accidentally, inappropriately touch his best friend.

"…I'm going to open the door again on the count of three, and I'd like for my boyfriend to not be on top of any other males. 1…" Hermione started her count, as Draco laughed. "2…"

"Hermione, you can come in. He's on the floor now." Harry called.

Hermione pushed open the door again, pleased to find that it was true, "Now what the hell happened in here?"

"I kissed him." Draco admitted. "He didn't want you to see."

"That's a lie!" Ron scoffed.

"Then you didn't kiss him?" Hermione asked.

"Well, no…that bit was true, but I was coerced! One second I was standing in the doorway, the next I was on top of both of them, with Draco shoving his tongue in my mouth, and pulling on my hair."

"Hmm…that part was like I imagined." Draco grinned against Harry's cheek. "He even grunted a little."

"And _why_ are you shoving your tongue in Ron's mouth when you've apparently got a more then willing mouth right _there_?" Hermione swatted at Draco and Harry.

"Hermione! I was just trying it out! And besides, it wasn't even that good!"

"Are you saying he's a bad kisser?" Hermione crossed her arms. "I'll have you know that Ron is a very good kisser!"

"Yea, if he's got the chance to think about what he's doing…" Draco rolled his eyes. "You must not catch him off guard enough."

"Stop analyzing my kissing abilities!" Ron swore loudly, "Can you two just get dressed so we can go down to dinner?"

"You two are naked?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Is _that_ what the two of you have been up to all afternoon?! Ginny told me what happened, but I didn't expect you to get down to business that fast!"

"What can I say? I can't keep my hands off the bugger." Draco tilted Harry's face to kiss him. "I don't suppose the two of you would leave so we could actually get dressed? It's a little bizarre to be naked in front of two people I don't plan on having sex with."

"Err…yea." Hermione nodded, grabbing Ron by the wrist, pulling him up from the floor. "Don't be to long, or we'll have to think of an excuse for you, and I'm not sure what more I can come up with besides that the two of you are shagging."

"We'll be there in a few minutes." Harry assured her, watching her pull the door closed behind them before turning to face Draco. "Are you satisfied now?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, brushing Harry's hair behind his ear.

"Kissing Ron."

Draco smiled, "It was nice…but like I said, better in my imagination."

"I don't want to go to dinner." Harry hid his face against Draco's collarbone, "I want to stay here with you."

Draco murmured in agreement, "I'd love to, but maybe it is time we left the little love-nest we've created."

Harry nodded, "All right. Lets go."

--

"You two aren't sleep in here." Ron was putting his foot down as Draco tried to crawl into bed with Harry later that night a few hours after an eventful dinner, filled with Draco feeling Harry up underneath the table, Ginny glaring at the two of them from across the table, and Ron being given the silent treatment from Hermione for kissing Draco.

"Aw, but Ron…if I don't sleep with Harry, that's like…eight hours I've lost with him. I don't have that many left." Draco whined, moving from trying to get into bed with Harry, to snuggling down against Ron's chest, trying to get him to feel sorry for him.

"I don't care." Ron struggled again him, trying to pull free. "Go to your room!"

"But my bed so tiny…" Draco purred.

Harry leaned on his elbow, watching Ron fight back against Draco's hold on him, while Draco pressed little kisses against his neck, "It's alright, Ron. We'll go, if you really want us to."

"But Harry…" Draco groaned. "What if I kick you out of the bed? Or worse, you kick me out…"

"We survived quite a few nights in the beds at school, Draco. I'm sure we'll be fine." Harry grabbed his pillow and the top blanket on his bed before touching Draco's shoulder, "C'mon…let Ron go to sleep."

Draco sighed, holding Ron at an arms length, staring into his eyes for a moment, before shrugging, "Fine. Good night Ron." He took his time in letting him go, and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Cripes, Draco… Just do it all ready so we can go to sleep." He sighed, knowing the look that Draco was using to try and tease something out of Ron.

"Wha--?" Ron looked up suddenly, and then blocked Draco's lips with a hand. "No! No more kissing! You're like a little kid, aren't you?! All you're missing is the slobber and sticky fingers!"

Harry smiled, with a little laugh, "You obviously don't know Draco very well."

"C'mon Ron, I was going to give you a second chance –who knows, maybe if you become a better kisser, after Harry goes back to being Harry, I might let you be my next…whatever you want to call it." Draco raised his eyebrow suggestively, and Harry scoffed.

"Could you start lining up dates _after_ I've left, please?"

"Sorry, Love." Draco moved away from Ron, to pull Harry up into his arms, kissing him. "Forgive me?"

"You're acting funny…" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I've just had to endure several hours of not being near you. It's enough to make anyone act a little funny."

Harry nodded, "C'mon, lets go then. G' night Ron."

"Good night." Ron called after them, closing the door quietly behind himself, before sinking down onto the floor in front of it.


	23. Alone In The House

Note: Real note is at the bottom of the page so as to so that I don't ruin anything (Yes I am quite aware that that is _not_ proper sentence structure. It's all good).

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-Three

A few mornings later, Harry had pulled himself out of bed and away from Draco to go have breakfast in the kitchen. Remus was cooking, not looking to be in the best of shape as it drew closer and closer to the full moon, while Severus read the Daily Prophet at the table.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Severus sounded annoyed as Harry slid into a chair across the table from him.

"Sleeping, but I don't think you actually care." Harry folded his hands on the table.

"You're right, I don't." Severus looked over the top of the paper. "However, I do find it rather refreshing that the two of you aren't groping each other in public for once."

"Sevvie, let it go." Remus sighed, placing a plate in front of him, and another in front of Harry. "Although, I must concur with that statement, Harry." Remus shrugged. "The two of you are rather disgusting."

"Well, we'll get a little time apart today, though won't we?" Harry shrugged.

"Hmm?" Remus a forgetful eyebrow, before nodding, "Oh, yes, of course. Sorry, I forgot about the trip to Diagon alley."

"Are you sure you're up to it? No offence, but you look like shit, Remus." Harry shrugged with concern.

"I'll be fine." Remus nodded. "But thank you for the concern."

"Morning." Hermione yawned, pushing open the door, to slid into a chair at the table, laying her head across her arms.

"Morning Herm." Harry greeted her. "Long night?"

"Mm…Ron doesn't feel well, so he won't be coming with us today." She yawned. "I was up with him all night while he puked his guts out. It was a lovely way to spend a day of my summer vacation." She sighed, lifting her head up, and running her fingers through her frizzy hair.

"Great…I'm stuck in the house all day with Vomit-Boy and the Pervert." Severus scoffed.

Remus couldn't help but smile, "Sevvie, don't be like that. You know I'd rather you go then me."

Severus scoffed, "I'm never going to leave this bloody house ever again, am I?"

Remus shrugged, "I don't know, Love."

Hermione yawned again, and stretched, "What's for breakfast then? It smells good –although, after being in a cramped bathroom all night with 'Vomit-Boy', anything smells good." She grimaced.

"I'll get you a plate." Remus started to stand before Severus reached out, to stop him.

"Sit down, Remus." He folded his paper nicely, laying it beside his plate. "I'm sure Hermione doesn't mind getting her _own_ plate?"

"Of course not." Hermione pushed back her chair. "You don't look well, Remus…"

"So I've been told." Remus nodded. "But I feel _fine_." He stared pointedly at Severus. "I promise."

"Maybe you shouldn't go this afternoon. Let Molly take the kids out."

"I promised them I'd take them. It's not a big deal."

Severus shook his head, "Fine…you never listen to me anyway."

"That's not true."

"Please, don't argue." Hermione sighed. "Why does everyone here have to argue all of the time?" She was returning to the table with a fully loaded plate. "Seriously, you two…Molly and Arthur, Harry and Ginny, me and Ron…"

"What are you and Ron arguing about?" Harry asked.

"Oh just his kiss with Draco…" Hermione shrugged while Remus and Severus collective coughed, reaching for their glasses of Orange juice and coffee.

"He did what?" Severus finally choked out.

Hermione slid her eyes to look at her former professor, "Err…yeah. You didn't hear?"

"_No_. When did that happen?" Remus asked, suddenly looking hungry for inner-house gossip.

"Oh, it was just the other night before dinner when he went to get Draco and Harry." Hermione stabbed her fork into her pancakes.

"Did _you_ know about this?" Severus looked up at Harry.

"Of course I did." Harry nodded. "I told him he could."

"And what did you do that for?" Hermione kicked him under the table.

"Well, we didn't exactly think you'd walk in, now did we? And besides, it's not like you _actually_ saw them kiss –you just walked in on all of us."

"_All of you_? What is that supposed to mean?" Severus couldn't hide his fatherly concern. "Were the three of you having a sex orgy or something?"

Harry wrinkled his nose, "First of all, _no!_ Second of all, don't say 'sex orgy'. It's very disturbing. You're like, what? Fifty something? You shouldn't even know what that is."

"Harry, our generation _invented_ the orgy." Remus shook his head, patting him on the shoulder, as he moved to put his still half-full plate into the sink. "Although I agree, Sevvie; don't say that kind of stuff. It makes you sound like a dirty old man."

Severus ignored him, "If you weren't, then what _was_ going on?"

"It's hard to explain, so I'm not going to." Harry shook his head.

"Oh, but it's such an interesting story…I rather like Ron's rendition actually, perhaps when he's feeling better he'd like to amuse us all with his tales of fancy." Hermione's voice dripped with sarcasm as she shoved half of a pancake into her mouth.

Harry raised an eyebrow, "…It wasn't anything, Herm. You shouldn't be so stressed about it."

Severus wasn't watching them anymore, instead his eyes were on Remus's whose hands were shaking as he tried to pour another cup of coffee, "Remus?"

"Hmm?" He put down the pot, steadying his hand on the edge of the sink as he leaned against the counter.

Severus shook his head, "You're not leaving this house today. I'll call Molly."

"What are you talking about? I'm fine."

"Hmm…says that man who has spilled more coffee on the floor then his cup." Severus stood up, to cross the kitchen, taking Remus's mug out of his hands, to whisper so that just the two of them could hear, "Why can't you take better care of yourself, Remmie?"

"You worry to much…and besides, I have to go today. I'm picking someone up."

Severus's eyes narrowed, "Are you talking about Jalan?"

"Why are you so against him coming here? Maybe he can help you."

"I've managed to not need him for almost seventeen years. I think I can survive the rest of my lifetime."

"Stop being so bitter –you won't even notice he's here. I promise."

"He's _staying_ here?" Severus's hands gripped the edge of the sink, "Why?"

"Where would you like him to go?"

"I'd like him to stay where ever he is now."

"…Severus, he's getting older, he doesn't have any family left…except you."

"Shut up, he's not my family."

"He loves you…you were his best student."

"That doesn't make me his family."

Remus raised an eyebrow, "Severus…"

"I'm still calling for Molly. She can pick him up just as well as you can. _You_ are going to go back to bed."

Remus bit his tongue to keep from answering the way he was at first inclined do, "Alright, fine…but after you talk to Molly, I want _you_ to take a break too."

"I can't, you know I have to keep working."

"You're not going to stumble on anything important if you just spend an hour with me."

Severus grunted before nodding, "Fine."

"You two aren't going to stand there and make out now are you?" Draco loped into the kitchen, slid his hand over Harry's shoulders as he sat with his back to the two older men. "Because, I'm sorry to break it to you, but…no one enjoys that."

The two of them were quiet for a moment before Remus nodded, "Hmm, c'mon. Lets leave them –we don't want to see _them_ making out either."

A few hours later, Draco found himself to be completely alone at headquarters with the exception of a still-ill Ron, and Severus and Remus, of whom had locked themselves into Remus's room together to partake in activities Draco found he would rather nothing think about.

"You still feeling sick, mate?" Draco sat down on the edge of Ron's bed, putting hand on Ron's side.

Ron grunted in reply, pulling his covers further up over his bare shoulders.

"Still puking up your intestines?"

"No, but I still feel dizzy."

"Hmm." Draco nodded, "You think you'd feel up to…something recreational?"

"If it involves leaving this bed, no."

"Oh, it doesn't."

Ron turned over, Draco's hand moving with him to rest on his stomach instead, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Draco nodded, shifting to pin Ron underneath him. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about too, don't you? You don't have to play 'stupid' with me, Ron."

"W-what? What are you doing?" Ron pushed against his chest, "First of all, _I'm ill_, and secondly, you're shagging my best friend! Get off of me, you prat."

"Mm…" Draco leaned back, grabbing Ron's wrists in his hands, holding them down at his sides. "You may be right there, but…as they say, once you go Weasley, you never go back?"

"No one says that! Who says that?!"

"Shh…Do you _want_ the Professors coming in here?"

"They _aren't_ Professors, but one of them _is_ Harry's dad, so maybe you'd like to get off of me before I scream bloody murder on you."

"You wouldn't do that." Draco shook his head. "You like it…inside, you're thinking 'mm, Draco, put a little bounce in those hips'. Aren't you?"

"_NO_!" Ron shook his head vehemently, "I certainly am NOT!"

"You want to know what I think?" Draco leaned forward again, pressing his lips to Ron's throat.

"Knowing you; probably not!"

"Hmm." Draco nodded, moving to lay next to Ron, his knee pressed tightly against his crotch, his mouth brushing against his ear as he talked, one arm above Ron's head, stroking his fingers through his hair, the other crossing his chest, grasping his shoulder, "You know I'm going to tell you anyway."

"Of course you are…could you move your knee, please?" Ron turned his head, Draco taking the opportunity to kiss him.

"I'm thinking about how sexy you look, sprawled out in bed, with your hair all unruly, half-naked."

"If I asked you nicely, would you leave?"

"That's doubtful… Harry is going to be gone all afternoon, and I've been waiting a _years_ for the oprotunity to get this close to you."

"Why?" Ron looked surprised.

"Because, I fancy you, of course."

"I hate to break this to you, Draco, but I'm straight. Perhaps you've met my girlfriend, Hermione Granger."

"I think I can change your mind. She wasn't always your girlfriend, it won't be long until she isn't anymore."

Ron narrowed his eyes, "What makes you say that?"

"I'm going to change your mind." Draco assured him, "Because…once Harry is back to being Harry, and with Ginny… I'm going to make _you_, mine."

"What makes you think you can do that?"

"Because of the way that your body is reacting to me right now…the way it did when I kissed you the other night."

"You said I was a rubbish kisser!"

"I just said that so Harry wouldn't feel so bad." Draco scoffed.

"You're psychotic." Ron pulled himself out of Draco's grasp, "Get out of my room."

Draco leaned on his elbow, staring at the redhead from his position, sprawled across the bed, "This isn't just _your_ room."

"Yeah. Your _lover_ lives here too."

Draco bit his tongue, nodding. "Alright, so you won't consider anything with me until after we're done, right? Is that what you're telling me?"

"It's not just that, Draco. I, I'm just not interested in you, alright?"

"You don't think you are yet, but you will be. I guarantee it."

"I think you're full of yourself."

"I think you're in denial."

Ron shook his head, "Please, just…get out. I don't feel well, and…"

"And what?" Draco dragged himself off of the bed, pulling Ron closer by the shoulders before letting his hands slide down Ron's bare arms, "And you're trying to very hard not to react the way I want you to?"

Ron averted his eyes, "If I told you yes, would that be enough for you to leave me alone?"

Draco considered that for a moment before shaking his head, "No, no probably not. I'd still be bored…alone…with only you and the professors for company, and I can't very well go and seduce one of them, now can I?"

"Why do you have to seduce anyone?"

"Because Harry is leaving me, Ron. I want an option." Draco moved away, shaking his head, "Everyone always fucking _leaves_ me."

"Trying to seduce _me_ doesn't mean that _I'm_ always going to be there, you know."

"I know…I guess…I've liked you for such a long time, and now that after all of these years we aren't acting like bitter enemies for once…" He turned back to Ron, "I can you know, act on how I feel for you."

"No, you can't. I'm still the same _straight_ guy that I was before. I have a girlfriend that I love, two best friends and a family that are my _life_. I'm really not that interesting of a person, Draco. Why me? Why are you choosing to pursue me?"

"I love how loyal you are." Draco brushed a piece of Ron's hair back out of his face. "You are so cute –your hair has gotten kind of long. It makes you look like some kind of muggle punk."

"I am _not_ going to give into you, Draco." Ron shook his head. "I don't trust you. I can't…respect you. You're very frustrating to me."

"Why don't you trust me?"

Ron laughed sarcastically, "Excuse me? Did you seriously just ask that question?"

"Yes. I did. I'm a honest person –I've never been anything _but_ honest!"

"Are you forgetting what you did to Harry? How could anyone ever trust you again after you did something like that?"

"He does."

"And what are you doing right now? You're trying to get me to help you cheat on him. Is that trustworthy?"

"I'm honest with him. It bothers you because you think I haven't talked to him about my feelings for you?"

"Have you?"

"He knows I liked you."

"Liked?"

"…That I like you." Draco shrugged. "He _knows_ that. Does he know that I came here today? No. Will I tell him?" Draco shrugged again. "I don't know. I will if you want me to, if that's what it takes for you to trust me."

"I still know about you've _done_, Draco." Ron shook his head. "You are no angel."

"Like you are?"

"I've never done _anything_ like the things you've done."

"Would you like too?"

Ron sighed, shaking his head, "This is all a game to you, isn't it? See how many guys you can sleep with before you're twenty? See how long it takes to break a Weasley?"

"I don't play games." Draco shook his head.

"Draco, you are a game _master_. You may not think about it like that, but you are always manipulating people like your friends and everyone is on a giant chessboard, and we're all pawns."

"You are not a pawn."

"Then what I am?"

"Apparently you're a bishop. –Say, this is fun. What piece am I?"

"You're the fucking queen, Draco."

Draco laughed. "Point taken…" He took Ron's hands in his again, "I'll leave, but I can't promise that I won't come back, given the opportunity. And after Harry is back to…being Harry, I can guarantee that you won't be getting rid of me any time soon. I'm sure we'll both have plenty of alone time to...get to know each other better."

"Please, don't hold your breath."

"You're not that lucky, Draco."

"We'll see." He shrugged, and pressed a short kiss to Ron's lips, "We'll see."

--

"What did you do today?" Harry was stretched out on Draco's bed after he, the girls, Molly, and the former potions professor, Jalan, had gotten back from Diagon Alley.

"Hmm…I'm not sure if I should tell you. You might get mad at me." Draco nuzzled him under the chin, pressing kisses to this neck as he undid the buttons of his shirt.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing important, really….I mean, nothing happened. I was just…feeling lonely."

"You were bothering Ron, weren't you?" Harry pushed him away from his chest, tugging him back to focus. "…What did he do?"

"Oh, well…nothing, he wouldn't play along with me. It was kind of sad."

"You are such a whore."

"Hmm…maybe so, but I'm your whore."

"For a couple of days yet, anyway…" Harry shrugged.

Draco nodded, "Right. How's that potion coming along anyway? Does Snape think this Jalan guy can help him?"

"He is adamantly against anything to do with the guy. I don't really get it. I mean, I guess they were really close when Severus was in school, after his parents died and abandoned him or whatever. Took care of him, and stuff…I guess they had some kind of a falling out after his last year at Hogwarts though."

"Because he was gay?"

"No, I don't think it was that."

"Oh. Hmm." Draco shrugged. "…So, you aren't mad about this…Ron thing."

Harry shrugged, "No. Ron is smart enough not to get involved with you." He grinned at Draco's shocked expression. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Why shouldn't he get involved with me?"

"For the same reason _I_ shouldn't have gotten involved with you."

"And what's that exactly?"

"You're to fucking easy to fall in love with."

"…Aw, I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me!"

"Maybe." Harry shrugged, "Now…can we shut up and shag? I've gone to many hours without you around to molest me."

"It's only molesting if you're not a willing party…and under the age of sixteen."

"Well, we both know I don't fit into either of those categories, now do I?"

"Thankfully, not."

Authors Note: Pleasedon'thatemepleasedon'thatemepleasedon'thateme… I already hate myself enough. I promise you, this will all work out and still be uber-fantastic…although reading the few reviews I get, I am beginning to rethink it…The only person I think is guaranteed to like it is Potter's Wifey who seems to like everything (I'm just teasing you, you're awesome). Also, I really want to apologize for my necrophilia comment in the last chapter…I've been reading way to many webcomics and watching to much Yaoi lately. My head isn't where it's supposed to be.


	24. The Grandfather Figure

Note (this is longish): If you don't like where this is going, or seems to be going, you have to tell me so I can change my perception. It's not to late, it's not like I've already got it written, or it's carved in stone somewhere. Also, I am sad that I've got so few reviews at all, and that the most I've ever gotten is 3.

This chapter is going to be more about Severus then anyone else.

Also, a lot of you are probably wondering who this Jalan fellow is. If you've never read any of my other stories (in particular, anything to do with a Severus/Remus pairing, because they are all _pretty much_ a continuum), you won't recognize this. I'm hoping that this will give me the opportunity to elaborate on him as a character, and that you guys like him as much as I do, because he really is one of my favorite characters I've ever made up in my head, and he's going to be more…colorful then in my previous mentioning of him. Enjoy and review!

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-four

"So, you actually came, huh?"

"Of course I did." Alaric Jalan looked disturbingly like Severus, but ages older. His long black hair was swept back into a loose braid that fell along his back, his olive green robes setting him apart as an obvious Slytherin head. He walked tall, with a cane that was more for an effect then for actual use. His face and hands looked beaten from years at a cauldron, but his eyes were still bright and illuminating. "I would have been here sooner, but it took me longer to rent out the condo to a nice muggle family then I would have liked…" He smiled, "Now, I imagine you're not very glad I'm here, are you Sev?"

"My name is Severus. Harry goes by Sev."

"Of course." Jalan nodded. "I haven't seen you in years, but you are still the same belligerent boy I knew so many years ago."

"It wasn't that long ago."

"Oh, my! Nearly twenty years! Not long at all, considering a wizards lifetime…but still." Jalan shrugged, "I've heard plenty of stories about you. How are you doing? After finally pulling yourself out of the Dark Lord's ranks, finding a home with your lover…and your son."

"Shut up. You're only here because you knew it would annoy the hell out of me."

"Severus, Severus…don't be bitter now."

"I'm not being bitter, I'm being honest."

"Why don't we like bygones be bygones and just…help each other out, yes?" Jalan asked, leaning on his cane for a bit of support as he walked towards the kitchen, "Ooh, I smell some deliciously Weasley-fresh coffee! Why don't you put a shirt on and join me?"

Severus glared at the back of his head, "I am not wearing a shirt for a reason, Alaric."

"Oh?" He looked surprised. "Showing off your muscles are you? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you've always been a rather scrawny fellow, Severus."

"It's easier to care for a wound when you don't have to worry about—you know what, never mind. I'm only talking to you to tell you to stay out of my way."

"Remus says you've got a potion you need some help with."

"I don't need anything from you."

Jalan smiled, with a slight nod, "Of course, of course…why don't you take a break from your busy schedule and tell me about your project. Something about…reversing a reversal for a paternal charm, is it?"

"I don't need to tell you anything."

"I can tell you it's going to be nearly impossible, unless you want to dig up James Potter's grave."

"Excuse me?"

"Join me, and I'll tell you my thoughts…"

Severus looked at him, Jalan continuing a steady stare back before he nodded, "…Alright. Fine…I will, but I do so under extreme protest."

"Of course you do." Jalan nodded. "It's completely understandable, but I think you protest too much." He took Severus by the wrist, leading him into the kitchen. "

--

"Hard at work are we?" Harry leaned in the doorway of the living room where Severus had moved, to allow Molly free-range again of her kitchen.

"I think we've got it down." Jalan was sitting on the edge of one of the chairs, watching his protégé at work. "You could be…yourself again before this time tomorrow."

"Congratulations." Harry tried to seem impartial about the change, but he couldn't help the feeling of regret pulling at his stomach.

Severus scoff, "You say that as if he actually _did_ something besides sit there and ridicule me for three hours."

Jalan laughed, "Never ridicule, my dear boy. I am simply trying to motivate you."

Severus didn't say anything, continuing with a careful measurement of some unknown powder.

Harry looked between the two of them, "So…what's the story? I mean…who are you? No one will really say…who you are."

Jalan nodded, knowingly, "Well, I suppose they don't, do they?"

"Don't be so cryptic." Severus barked.

Jalan laughed, "To put it bluntly, I'm…your grandfather."

Severus coughed, while Harry raised an apprehensive eyebrow.

"Don't tell him that!" Severus whipped around, "He is not, Harry. Don't listen to him."

"You seem flustered, Severus." Jalan's hand slipped down his cane that was balanced on the floor, picking it up to lay it across his lap as he leaned back in the chair, "You would prefer for me to tell him the entire truth?"

"Just sit there and be quiet." Severus turned back to the cauldron.

"Tell me." Harry dared him, stepping into the room, to sit on the couch. "He never tells me anything." He looked up at his father. "I'm sure you have a much more colorful past then you'll let on."

Jalan laughed again, "He certainly does!"

"Shut up, old man." Severus was obviously getting quite irritated.

Jalan raised an eyebrow at Harry as if to ask if he was really prepared to hear the story of Severus's child hood, who nodded.

"I'm not your _grandfather_ per-say, but I am certainly a relative."

"No he's not."

"When Severus was born, his parents asked me to be his godfather. His mother was close to my youngest sister, so we knew each other well. After Severus's parents died, I took him in."

"Why does he resent you so much?"

"That's just Severus's way of showing affection." Jalan shook his head.

"You wish." Severus's voice carried over the bubbling cauldron.

Jalan smiled, shaking his head at Severus, "Anyway, he was about twelve or so when he came to stay with me during the summers." Severus scoffed loudly again, but didn't say anything, "…Do you have something to add, Severus?"

"Why don't you just tell him what this is leading up to?"

Jalan shrugged, "Fine." He turned back to Severus, "After Severus got out of school, even before…we were lovers, but only for a short time."

Harry's eyebrows rose further, and he looked at Severus, "Does _Remus_ know about this?"

Severus didn't answer.

"He doesn't, does he?"

"He does. Sort of." Jalan shrugged. "I didn't tell him, but I stopped working at Hogwarts soon after Severus got his teaching license. I was the Defense teacher for a year, but then I retired in the tropics. I haven't been Great Britain fifteen years."

"He knows enough." Severus snapped, "Are you happy? Now you know all of my sick, twisted secrets."

Harry leaned back, crossing his arms, "So…you're like his dad, and you slept with him? That's…fucked up." Harry was ignoring Severus.

"It wasn't like that, Harry…or should I call you Sev?" Jalan asked.

"Harry is fine." He assured him, "If it wasn't, then what was it 'like'?"

"It wasn't _love_." Severus shook his head. "And whatever it _was_…it turned into this. Now stop talking about it."

"He's bitter because I told him to go back to Remus," Jalan stage-whispered behind his hand towards Harry with a slight smile on his face.

"No, I am _angry_ because you disappeared, and I had no idea where you were."

"Oh, well…I'm glad to see that you cared then."

"Of course I cared! You took care of me since I was twelve!" Severus shook his head. "I don't want you here, because you obviously wanted nothing to do with me after you left. No letters, nothing at all. I figured you had died years ago."

"Don't be ridiculous. You'd know if I died –you'd be the new owner of a lovely flat in the Bahamas."

"Now _you're_ being ridiculous."

"Oh, am I?" Jalan asked. "Who did you expect me to leave all of my earthly belongs to? A second hand shop perhaps?"

"That's where they'll end up." Severus assured him.

"You two bicker like old women… I think I rather do believe you were lovers." Harry shook his head.

"…What did you really come down here for?" Severus looked up at him.

"I just wanted to see how the potion was coming along."

"Why? Aren't you enjoying your time with your little beau?"

Harry shrugged, "Sure I am."

"What's he done now?" Severus recognized the look. "Do I have to rip out his innards?"

"Don't be disgusting." Harry shook his head, standing up. "Just…finish the potion, and then we'll never have to worry about it again."

"Hrmph." Severus sighed, "The day I no longer have to worry about you is still a bit further in the future."

Jalan cleared his throat, "Harry…are you sure you really want to do this? Go back to being someone else's son?"

"I'm not James Potter's son, I know that. But I don't think I'm much of a son to Severus Snape either." Harry looked back at his former professor-now father. "Am I? I must be such a disappointment to you."

"You are not a disappointment. You are a frustration."

Harry nodded, "I see…well, I have a certain someone to keep entertained. Keep up with all of the hard work, _Dad_."

Jalan watched Harry retreat out of the room, and clomp up the stairs, "He's not bitter and sarcastic at all, is he? I wonder where he got that from."

"You're a horrible person, you know that?" Severus set his wand down away from the burning cauldron, sitting down in the spot that Harry had just vacated. "Don't…don't talk to him, don't put ideas in his head…just. Don't try to be my father again."

"I was hardly ever a _father_ to you, Severus; a lecherous uncle perhaps, but never a father…" He shook his head, standing, to move to sit next to him. "But, those days are long over, my dear boy."

Severus turned to look at him, "Are those days ever over for you? You may be trying to play this…sweet old man card in front of these people, but I know you for who you truly are."

"Oh? And what am I truly, Severus?"

Severus bit his lip, shaking his head, "A very confused individual."

"Really? Well, thank you for informing me of that." Jalan reached up to brush Severus's hair back away from his face. "Remus is very lucky, Severus. I want you to know that I won't try and jeopardize anything that you've been trying to work for with him."

"You won't _try_, you just will."

"Oh ye of little faith," Jalan sighed. "You always were so…what's the word I'm looking for? Untrusting."

"Why should I trust you at all?"

"Lots of reasons," He shrugged. "Just because I'm an ex, doesn't mean that I don't still care about you. The sooner you realize that, the more work we can get done together, with each other's help."

Severus shook his head, "I don't need your help. I've never needed yours, nor anyone else's."

"And that, my sweet Severus, is your greatest ruin."

--

The next evening after everyone had gone to bed, Severus knocked quietly on the door to Draco's room, where Harry had taken to sleeping in order to, one, keep Draco away from Ron, and two, to abide by Ron's wishes that he not have to put up with their late-night love fest.

"Whose there?" Draco called.

"Who else would knock on your door at this hour?"

"Oh…brilliant, come in then." Draco and Harry pulled themselves away from each other and into a more presentable position as Severus opened the door slowly.

"I've just come to tell you I've finished…so, whenever you want to take it..." He pulled a small flask from his robes, and set it on Draco's bedside table, "Go right ahead."

Harry nodded, "…Who else knows that you've finished?"

"Just Alaric and Remus." Severus crossed his arms. "I wouldn't suggest leaving it more then two days, it could become fairly unstable."

Harry nodded, understanding, "Of course."

"Well…good night." Severus nodded to the both of them, before showing himself out of the room, making his way back to the room that he and Remus were currently sharing.

"Did you give it to him?" Remus was already curled up in bed, waiting for him to come back from his errand.

Severus nodded, "I did. He seemed a little…sad."

Remus shrugged, "He's giving up a lot, going back to what he was."

"Like what?"

"Like a father."

"Whether he likes it or not, Remus, I'm still his father." Severus slid into the bed beside him, laying his head against Remus's shoulder.

"But the world doesn't know that. They can't see it." Remus shook his head, brushing his fingers through Severus's hair, pulling it away from his face. "He's made a tough decision, but…he'll make it work out."

"He knows what to do if he changes his mind."

Remus murmured in agreement, "How are things with Jalan?"

"Horrible."

"You love him."

"It's different with him. I love him, but I still hate him all with the same emotion."

Remus smiled, "It's alright for you to love him, Severus."

"No, it's really not." Severus looked up at him. "He was my guardian, a parent…and as soon as I was old enough…"

"You were a more then willing party to his seduction. And I can understand why you would fall for it. He's very attractive, and he's really only gotten better with age."

"Oh, really?"

"Really." Remus nodded.

Severus sighed, as Remus's fingertips brushed down his side, over the bandages wrapped around his chest, "Hm, don't." He took Remus's hand in his, pressing a kiss to his fingertips.

"Is it almost healed?"

"No." He shook his head. "But…I don't want you to see it either."

"Severus, I already know what you were –who you are. A scar isn't going to change that."

"It's not the scar that bothers me Remus, it's what the scar is _of_. The things that happened before I got it…"

"You are not a horrible person, Severus Snape. Stop trying to make me think that you are."

"I don't want you to think that at all." Severus shook his head. "I want you think that I am worthy of your attentions."

"You are more then worthy."

Severus smiled softly, scooting up to press a kiss underneath Remus's ear, "Do you know what I miss about being in school with you, Remus?"

"Hmm?"

"Making love to you in the Astronomy Tower…and in the dungeons…and the Room of Requirement…"

Off course, my dormitory..."

"And your dormitory…I swear, before we graduated, we only had sex in a bed twice, at most."

Remus smiled, "That's alright. We usually moved to the floor anyway, didn't we?"

"Thank god we're over that now."

"Hmm, but we haven't had _sex_ in—" Remus was silenced by Severus pressing a kiss to his lips.

"What is this nonsense?"

"Severus, there is a difference between sex and foreplay." Remus shifted over onto his side, pulling Severus's hips closer to his own.

"No matter what we do, do you orgasm?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Of course."

"Then it's sex, darling."

Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe not the kind you'd _like_, but I don't think we'll chance anything until after I'm healed." He pressed a hand to his bandaged chest. "And then I'll fuck you the way you want, agreed?"

Remus hummed in agreement, "Sounds like a plan, Sevvie."


	25. The Welcome Back

Note: This is like, the longest thing I've ever written –already well over (I think) 20,000 (does that seem big?) words longer then my –novel-. Is that sick, or what? Also, I want to thank everyone for their reviews (…even the ones I was like, "Whaaaat?"). I'm glad that though I am pretty much fucking this up, you still like it. Or think you do. Haha. Enjoy. I think this will be angsty-fantastic. ...I am rethinking my ending (thanks guys…I had a PLAN people!), but not enough to maybe go through with the change. I might write and alternative though.

To Josh: I tried to e-mail you the edited portion of chapter 13, but it didn't work. E-mail me at (…or any of you others are to lazy/young to join my group…) and I'll try again. Make sure you use a subject line I'm not going to delete (like Great War, or something)

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-Five

After Severus closed the door behind himself, Draco and Harry both turned to look at the flask.

"When…are you going to do it?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged, "Tomorrow, probably."

Draco bit his lip, running his hand along Harry's inner thigh, "I know I might seem like…I don't care, most of the time, but, I really do. I don't want you to do this."

Harry nodded, "I know."

"And doesn't that count for anything?"

"Of course it does, but ultimately, I just want to be who I _was_, not who I was _supposed_ to be." Harry turned to look at him, "Do you understand?"

Draco nodded begrudgingly, "I understand, but I don't want to accept it. You are so beautiful. I just want Sev…forever."

"I can't be Sev. I'm _not_ Sev. It was hard lying to you Draco, and even now that you know, you keep holding to that twisted lie, don't you?" Harry sighed, shaking his head. "I don't want to be a liar anymore."

"Sev is a beautiful lie then."

"And Sev is dead, come tomorrow, so enjoy him while you can."

--

"Well, this is a change, isn't it?" Ron was sitting on the edge of the tub the next morning before everyone had woken up, watching Harry take the potion. "But…I have to ask something before I'll let you drink that."

Harry looked down at him, "What's that, Ron?"

"You're not going to regret this are you? I mean, you'll always be the same person, no matter what you look like, and you'll be my best friend, forever whether you like it or not. But, you're also leaving a lot of things behind, and going back to others –things that you could just keep hiding from."

"I'm sick of hiding, Ron." Harry shook his head. "And we all know about Draco and Ginny…I just want it all to be over. You're asking me if I'm going to regret going back to be Harry Potter, and I will. I am going to regret this every day of my life that I have to…be with your sister."

"Then why are you doing it? Tell Ginny the truth."

"Because, as much as I am going to regret it, I love her –maybe even more then I love Draco. We tried to make things work, but…there is more to love then sex, I have found, and I don't think I'll find that with Draco. And it breaks my heart."

"You're such sap." Ron grinned.

"You're an arse." Harry shook his head. "Can I drink this now?

"Bottoms up, Mate." Ron nodded.

A few minutes, and a couple of convulsions later, a green eyed, brown haired, pale skinned, shorter Harry Potter knelt on the bathroom floor.

"Oh my god…That was…disgusting." He covered his mouth with his hand to keep from retching up the awful potion. "Bloody hell…what was in that?"

"I think that is a question better left unanswered." Ron cringed. "You alright?"

"I'm fine…but I don't think I ever want to do that again." He shuddered, "Let go surprise everyone, shall we?"

"Harry, before we go, I think I need to tell you something."

"What's that?" Harry asked, his hand already on the doorknob.

"Um, the other day when you all went shopping, and I was sick…" Ron scratched his head, pondering. "Um, Draco…came into my room."

"I know." Harry shrugged. "He told me."

"Oh." Ron nodded. "And…you're okay?"

"Draco is a free spirit. If wants to fuck you, he will, whether I like it or not, and he's not my boyfriend, Ron. If you want to have sex with him, go ahead. I can't stop you anymore…just remember this when…if I ever sleep with your sister and you find out." Harry winked, opening the door. "It's fine. We need to separate, and find new people. If Draco wants to test out his Weasley Lust Theory, I can't think of anyone better suited for it, then you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know." Harry smiled, "Now come on, I'm starving for breakfast."

Ron nodded, following him out of the bathroom, "Okay –err.." He paused just short of knocking into Harry's back, "Whaa? Oh."

Draco ran his fingers through his hair, nodding, letting his eyes run over Harry, "I figured this is what I'd wake up to."

"We said what needed to be said last night, Draco." Harry shrugged. "I didn't think…"

"That maybe I would want to be a part of this? Of course, you didn't. You never seem to want to include me, do you Harry?"

Harry shook his head, pushing past him, "I don't have to include you anymore. We can go back to what we were before. Enemies."

"Running away from your problems again?" Draco held his ground, not turning to watch Harry's decent down the stairs, but tilted his head, looking at Ron. "Are you the same way, Weasley? Things get too hard, so you look for the easiest way out?"

"He's not running away from you Draco." Ron pushed past him as well, surprised when Draco's hand closed around his wrist, jerking him back.

"Are you still going to be his faithful dog to the end?"

"I'm not his _dog_. I'm his friend, which is more than you ever could be to him."

Draco let his hand loosen around Ron's wrist, sliding his finger tips across his palm, letting go, "That's hurts, Ron."

"Good. Maybe now you can get an inkling of what it feels like to be anyone else." Ron continued on his way down the stairs in Harry's wake.

--

"…What are you staring at?" Draco looked up when he felt eyes on him, as he read in the now potion-vacant living room.

Jalan shrugged, "Just observing another side-cast lover. I've never seen it from this position before."

Draco scoffed, "I don't know what you think you know, but it's not true, whatever it is. Harry and I had a deal, and we fulfilled it."

Jalan sat down in the chair across from him, "I feel as though I should apologize to you."

"Why's that?"

"I told Severus what he was missing. I took something important away from you, and gave it to someone else."

"It doesn't matter. It was going to happen eventually, even without you, Mr. Jalan."

"Call me Alaric." He sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. "And as the for the potion…it's true, Severus is smart, he would have figured out what he needed, what he was doing wrong…but it would have given you more time. A few extra days…a week, maybe even months if he played his cards right. Enough time for you to convince Harry of…whatever he needs convincing."

"I shouldn't _have_ to convince him of anything. Besides," Draco closed his book, standing, "he can be happy now…but you spend so much time wallowing in your own self-pity that I suppose you don't stop to think that maybe it's not what _we_ want that is important…and that is what separates you and me."

"That's a pretty speech. Do you believe it?"

Draco nodded, "I may not _like_ it, I may not _want_ to believe it, but I never say anything that I don't, or won't believe in."

Jalan nodded, "That's a good policy, but its also pretty much shit. It's human nature to want and need, and to do whatever it takes for self-satisfaction. Humans are selfish, not self-sacrificing."

"I'm not like other people." Draco shook his head, "…I have other things to do. If you'll excuse me?"

Jalan nodded, "Of course. I don't expect the younger generation to entertain a bitter old man. Go on with your day."

A few minutes after Draco had vacated the living room, Remus leaned in the doorway of the living room, "I'm sorry there isn't much to do around here right now. Once the time is right…you can help more at the school."

Jalan nodded, "I understand, and it's not all bad. It gives me the opportunity to catch up on all of the excitement I've missed in my years abroad."

"I heard some of what you said to Draco." Remus crossed his arms.

"Oh?" Jalan raised an eyebrow.

"Is that why you came here? To try and convince Severus of…whatever it takes to get him back?"

"Of course not, I came back here to help out old friends. For all I knew, Severus was gone, succumbed to the Dark Lord's power, never to be seen again. I didn't expect to find him here anymore then you expected him to come back here, Remus. Surprised doesn't begin to cover my emotions upon discovering that he was back –and alive."

"You doubted him that much?"

"He never ceases to amaze me, that's for sure."

Remus nodded, "I'm not going to be here tonight, but I think you already knew that. I expect you…no, I _demand_ that you respect the relationship that Severus and I have, and please. Do not try and take him from me again. You will not succeed."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, simply a warning." Remus shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of _threatening_ you, Alaric."

"Why are we threatening him?" Severus came up behind Remus, resting his hand on Remus's hip, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Alaric and I were just chatting." Remus coiled his fingers around Severus's wrist after sliding his hand underneath the sleeve of his loose fitting sweater, giving Jalan a pointed look. "Weren't we?"

"Hmm." Jalan agreed. "He was just making a few things clear."

"Right…well, lunch will be ready soon. Molly wanted me to tell you." Severus kissed him again, "I'll go tell the kids."

"Okay. We'll be there in a minute." Remus assured him, letting his hand slide away, as Severus pulled away to go towards the stairs, watching him go. As soon as he had ascended the stairs, he turned back to Jalan.

"You have nothing to worry about, Remus. At least, not to much." Jalan used his cane to pick himself up out of the chair. "I'm not the man I used to be, Remus. Even if I did somehow, due to some miracle, get him to see me the way that he once did…It wouldn't last for very long."

"I think you're just milking your age." Remus shook his head. "You are as bright eyed, and youthful as you ever were. We aren't muggles, we don't age the same way."

Jalan shrugged, "Don't fret, Remus. It doesn't become you at all."

--

"So, you're completely done with Draco now?" Ginny sat on the edge of her bed, Harry sitting opposite her on Hermione's bed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Harry nodded. "That's what you want isn't it?"

"Is it what you want?"

"Ginny, I want you to be happy."

"Then I am happy." She nodded. "I wish…he didn't have to be here though. I mean…I would feel a lot more at ease if you didn't have to see him."

"It's good for me to see him, as a reminder that I don't want to go back to that." Harry stood up, kneeling on the floor in front of her, taking her hands into his. "Let's just forget about everything, okay?"

"…It's really strange, seeing Harry Potter again. I mean, I got so used to Sev…" She pushed her fingers through his hair, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad." She shook her head. "But I'm still afraid. Just because you look differently doesn't mean that Draco will thinking differently about you."

"Ginny, what do you want from me?" Harry stood up, turning away from her, shaking his head. "You tell me that you don't want me with Draco, I leave him. What more is there for you want? For you to take away from me?"

"…You think I'm taking him away from you?"

"You need to decide if I'm good enough for you or not. I am not a saint, Ginny. I can't always be the guy that you want me to be. I love Draco, but that doesn't mean I don't love you either. When you know what you want from me, you know where to find me, Gin."

"Harry, don't leave." She started to follow him, only to have the door pulled closed in front of her.

Harry made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen where Draco was sitting at the table, still finishing his lunch after everyone else had already gone.

"Trouble in paradise?" the blonde raised an eyebrow at him.

"Gloat all you want, Malfoy." Harry shook his head, leaning against the kitchen counter. "We had an argument, that's all."

"You know, it isn't like it's to late or something." Draco put his hands on Harry's hips, moving close, biting his bottom lip, "I can make you happy."

"No." Harry pushed him away, "We already did this. Our time is over now."

Draco nodded, "Alright…then I'm off to work on your best friend. Does that bother you?"

Harry shrugged, indifferently, "If that's what you want to do, Draco, you have fun with that. Tell me how it goes."

"Are you really that apathetic?"

Harry nodded, "I have to be, especially when it comes to you."

"I see." Draco shrugged, and moved away from him. "I don't want you, anyway. Like this. I fell in love once, and it wasn't with…you."

Harry bit his tongue, "Then maybe you should stop coming on to me all of the time."

"Fine."

"Fine." Harry repeated.

"I'll, uh, see you around then, huh?"

"It's not a very big house. You sound like you're going somewhere."

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'll steal away in the middle of the night."

"And where would you go?"

"Does it matter? Maybe I'd just go back to the Dark Lord, and let him kill me."

"Was I worth that much to you?"

"Sev was worth that much to me. You're shit." Draco turned around, pushing his way out of the kitchen, letting the door swing back and fourth behind him.

--

Ron looked up from his beaten copy of the_ Flying with the Canons_ as Draco let himself into his and Harry's room, "What do you want?"

"Not anything really." Draco shrugged, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, "This isn't a very big house, I'm feeling a little restless."

"Uh huh, so you come to bother me? Brilliant."

"I don't want to bother you. I just can't look at Harry anymore, the girls don't like me, and the professors make me want to puke every time I see them…especially that creepy old Jalan guy." Draco shivered.

"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Just sit there…and ignore me."

"That won't be difficult at all." Ron turned back to his book, and read quietly for a few minutes before he whipped around. "Get out."

"What? I'm just sitting here."

"You're staring at me."

Draco shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, you're very attractive, especially when you look so intent."

"What do you really want?"

"I think you know _that_ answer." Draco rolled his eyes.

"I am not shagging you."

"We don't_ have_ to shag." Draco got up, standing behind Ron's chair, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"No, we're just not. Ever. Never." Ron looked up at him. "What is your problem? You've only gone a couple of hours with Harry."

"This isn't about sex, Ron, really." Draco started kneading his fingers into Ron's shoulders. "This is…"

"Revenge? Using his best friend to make him see the errors of his ways?"

"Mmm…you could call it revenge. I prefer the word 'retribution'."

"You know…if it makes you feel better, he really does like you. Love you, even."

"If he did, he wouldn't have taken that potion this morning."

"I think he regrets it." Ron pushed Draco's hands away, moving to get up from the chair, looking at him face-to-face.

"Regret isn't enough. I want him to feel _pain_ for what he's done; for what he's ruined."

Ron raised an eyebrow, "Melodramatic much, Draco?"

"You probably think I sound insane, don't you?" Draco laughed, sitting down on Ron's bed, laughing into his hands. "Maybe I am insane."

It took Ron a second to realize that Draco wasn't laughing, but crying, "Hey…you know, Harry isn't even that great. I mean, he's got so much crap baggage, with this whole 'boy who lived' thing. And he's got such an attitude…you're probably better off without him…and hey, he likes my _sister_." Ron shivered. "He's got to have some balls to go after a girl with six brothers."

"…What does that say about your sister?" Draco looked up from behind his hands.

"My sister is known to do some pretty stupid things." Ron sat down next to him. "And, you know…soon, she'll probably get sick of Harry, and…you know, maybe you two can hook up again, or…whatever."

"No. I'm done with him." Draco shook his head. "I've wasted far to much time on him."

"Then…what are you going to do? You're…Draco Malfoy. You can't go two days without shagging someone."

"That's an exaggeration." Draco scoffed.

"Okay, okay…without getting 'close' with someone."

"What are you meaning by 'close'?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"You know…kissing and stuff."

Draco pondered for a moment, "You really are such a little kid, aren't you Ron?"

"Excuse me?"

"Kissing and stuff?" He repeated. "What are you? A twelve year old school girl? Do you still call sex between two people, 'making love'?"

"Err..well…"

"You are a little girl!" Draco laughed, brushing the tears off his cheeks, suddenly feeling much better.

"What's wrong with the term 'making love'? I think it's…romantic, or something."

"Is that what you call it when you shag Hermione?"

"I do _not_ shag Hermione. Why does everyone think that?" Ron started to stand before Draco grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down onto the bed.

"You've really never slept with Hermione? You've been dating for almost six months."

"I'm not saying I _haven't_, I'm just saying it's not like it's a _regular_ thing that…we…err..do."

"Did you two break up, and you just don't want to say anything?"

"No!" Ron sighed, pulling his wrist out of Draco's grasp. "We did it, and then we decided that…it wasn't for us."

Draco's eyebrows raised higher in disbelief, "Sex…isn't…for you?"

"Okay, that came out wrong. Just…forget it, okay. We're not doing it, end of story."

"You know, it makes me sad when I hear that a girl isn't taking care of her man." Draco ran his left hand down Ron's arm, his right hand sliding across his inner thigh.

"Draco, I've already told you no, several times actually."

Draco pressed a kiss against Ron's jaw, "Your mouth his saying no, but the rest of you is saying 'fuck'."

"You are such a man-whore."

"I'd like to be your man-whore." Draco teased, licking the underside of Ron's chin, "If you'd let me…or even if you don't let me." He wrapped his arms around Ron's waist, pressing his face into his neck, "I just feel so…comfortable with you."

"You feel comfortable with anyone who sits still long enough." Ron put his hands on top of Draco's, but didn't try to pull them away.

"Hmm…that's probably true." Draco smirked, before groaning, pushing Ron back into the bed, and holding him tightly up against himself, his leg wrapping around Ron's knee to help pin him down. "We don't have to shag. I'd be content to just kiss you for a bit."

"And how long would that last? You are completely insatiable." Ron couldn't resist the temptation to brush Draco's lengthening hair behind his ear, tilting his face towards his. "You keep saying all of these things to me… I understand why it's so hard for Harry to let you go."

"Hmm…Well, Harry…Sev, is dead to me." Draco pressed his lips against Ron's before he could regain his former ground as the aloof boy who wanted nothing to do with him. "But, you my friend…are very much alive. I think you feel it too." Draco's pushed his hands underneath Ron's shirt, tracing his fingers along Ron's chest, "Hmm…you're getting a bit of a belly, aren't you?" He shoved Ron's shirt up, leaning up on his elbow to observe. "I hadn't really noticed."

"Shut up." Ron started trying to pull his shirt back down, but Draco stopped him.

"Don't…it's cute. Really, you look like less of a little schoolboy or something."

"It's only because we haven't really gotten…out lately." Ron pushed his hands away, tugging his shirt back into place. "

"C'mon Ron…stop being such a pansy and just have a bit of fun with me. No one needs to know." Draco kissed him again, clasping his fingers with Ron's. "No one besides us…and Harry, since he already knows that I'm here. But he won't tell Hermione, and god forbid your sister find out." Draco rolled his eyes. "You can't deny that you want to…even your girlfriend might be in support of it…" He leaned close to Ron's ear, "I might even make you a better lover. Show you how to please your girl, and all that. Teach you a few tricks. That's why you don't sleep with her, isn't it? One of you…neither of you, know what you're doing."

"How is sleeping with a boy going to help me fuck my girlfriend better?"

"Mm…Once you known your _own_ form, it's all smooth sailing, sweet." Draco encouraged. "Come one...be my student."

Ron squinted, disbelieving at him, "Would it really, you know…make me better?"

"You never know until you try." Draco shrugged.

"I knew it! You're lying to me!"

"I'm not lying! I just making an assumption, of sorts. Think about it…the more sex you have, the better you are. You 'n Hermione have done it what? Twice, tops? That's not nearly enough to be a top notch lover, you know. You need practice, and I am a more then willing practice-partner."

"Shouldn't I be…practicing with a girl?"

"You want to shag your sister? She's the only other girl in the house besides Tonks who, I'm sorry mate, is out of your league."

"I don't have to like…talk sexy to you or anything do I?"

"Not if you don't want to." Draco shrugged. "But dirty talk is half of the fun."

"I'd feel stupid!" Ron argued. "I can barely just say 'yes' to you, much less tell you to fuck me harder, you big stallion."

"Mmm…obviously we will be working on your dirty talk as well." Draco raised an eyebrow. "So, it's agreed then? We'll shag?"

"I don't know…" Ron pulled his hands out of Draco's, running them up his arms to his shoulders before clasping them around Draco's neck, "Part of me wants to say yes, just because…you know, Harry always seemed to enjoy it… but the other part of me is saying it's a bad idea –what if Hermione found out we'd done it?"

"I think that other part of you needs to shove a sock in it."


	26. The Search Ensues

Note: Haha. Potter's Wifey, you make me laugh. I think it scares my roommate. Haha. As for this chapter…Umm…I don't know. This is drawing to a close, but it seems like I still have so much to say. I hate that. –Pardon my spelling of the world 'horcrux'. I'm not sure if that's right or not, and I don't have my books at school to double check it… See bottom for a longer note.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-six

"What wrong with you?" Harry cast a glance at Ron, who was in bed, even though it was still quite early in the evening. "You missed dinner –didn't you hear us calling?"

"Oh. It's alright. I'm really not hungry." Ron adjusted his position, curling one arm behind his head, watching Harry kick back at his desk with a book that Tonks and Kingsley had told him to read for their defense tutelage. "Err…was Draco down there?"

"Yes, and he looked disgustingly smug." Harry still hadn't taken a second glance at his friend. "Did the two of you do something?" He flipped through the book to find where he had left off, "I recognized the grin, but I didn't want to believe it. I thought you would have held out for a few more days at least."

"Err, well…"

"You did, did you?" Harry turned around, taking a good look at his friend, "Jeez, Ron, look at you." He raised an eyebrow. "Were you on the bottom, then?"

"Excuse me?"

"Were you on the bottom, or did he let you have the top?"

"I, er, I don't think that's really any of your business."

"Seeing at how you're still in bed, I'm going to reckon you were on the bottom. He's a nasty bit of work, isn't he?" Harry hid his teasing smile against his sleeve, his arm balanced over the back of the chair. "What is Hermione going to say?"

"Hermione doesn't need to know! And I'll have you know that I did it for her!"

Harry's eyebrow raised questionably, "Eh?"

"Draco said he could make me a better lover…"

"Yea, for _him_, of course; how is sleeping with Draco going to make you a better lover with Hermione? And why do you need to be better anyway? You seem to already have a very healthy relationship."

"She said I'm rubbish in the sack." Ron stretched out before sitting up, tucking the bed covers in around him, "Although, I don't know how she'd know, since I'm pretty sure she was a virgin until Christmas."

"Pretty sure?"

"Well…I wasn't going to ask…and err… This is stupid. I'm not talking about Hermione with you. This is about Draco."

"Ah, of course; what exactly about him?"

"Is he always so…rough?"

Harry pondered, letting his eyes shift around the room, thinking, "Hmm, well…I guess I never really noticed." Harry shrugged, looking back at Ron. "Why? What was so rough about him?"

"I don't know, it just didn't seem very…emotional, I guess."

"Sometimes sex isn't about emotion. It's just about getting off."

"That's a pretty sad view, isn't it?"

Harry shrugged again, "Did you enjoy it?"

"Well…yeah, I guess." Ron shrugged. "It was better then when I did it with Hermione, that's for sure."

Harry laughed, "I won't tell her you said that."

"No, it's like…Draco knows what he's doing."

"He's had a lot of practice." Harry turned back to his book.

"…Harry? Are you mad at me?" Ron asked.

"Why would I be mad at you Ron? I'm quietly _seething_ at Draco, but I'm not mad at you. Besides…I've only myself to blame for this idiocy anyway." Harry shook his head.

Ron leaned over the side of the bed, picking up his clothes from the floor, pulling it back on before he spoke again, "I'm really sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have listened to him…I knew what he was doing, and I just gave into him. I guess…I've never had someone flatter me like that."

"What do you mean 'flatter'? He tells you he likes your hair and crap like that…" Harry scoffed.

"There! You see! You are mad at me!" Ron stood behind Harry's chair, putting his hands on his friend's shoulder. "Tell me what's wrong…maybe I can help."

"That's just the problem…I don't know what's wrong. I should be really happy. I'm finally free from Draco –Ginny's not harassing me, you're finally getting some…" He sighed, and shook his head. "I just want all of this…this shit with Voldemort and the horcruxes, and this stupid war to be over with. I just want to be, you know, young and care free or whatever."

"Do you want me to tell Draco to fuck off?" Ron asked, leaning down and putting his chin on Harry's shoulder. "I will, if you want me too."

"And if I said it didn't matter to me –what would you do then?"

Ron shrugged, "Keep shagging him, I guess…well, until Hermione or my Mum found out, in which case I would probably have to kill myself."

"No, you wouldn't. You'd tell them it was all a mistake, and tell Draco to jump off a cliff."

"I won't do it again." Ron promised. "I can tell that's what you want."

"Ron, just…do what you want." Harry shook his head, frustrated. "I can't, I can't stop you, or him. If it's what you want, if…you like it…go for it, mate."

Ron was quiet for a few minutes, staring down at the carpet, as Harry went back to his reading, speaking up a bit later, "Harry…how are you, as a lover?"

Harry coughed, surprised by the question, "Excuse me?"

"Well, you've only ever been with Draco, so does that mean…you're the same as he is? Are you worse then him? Or…are you, you know…more gentle, or whatever."

"I…don't know, Ron. I've never really shagged myself." Harry closed his book, seeing that he probably wasn't togging to get any reading done. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinking about what it would be like…shagging I mean."

Harry's eyebrow raised, "You…want to shag? Me?"

"Well…no. Yes. No. Sort of…" Ron shook his head. "I only did it the one time with Draco, and I spent so much time trying to get my mind off of him scraping his nails down my back…I think I missed most of it."

Harry laughed, shaking his head.

"I'm being serious! I think he made me bleed!" Ron turned around, lifting up his shirt around his shoulders, letting Harry see the long red marks down his back, "It fuckin' hurts!"

"I imagine it does." Harry nodded. "But, just because you got scared, 'cause he got a little to…into it, doesn't mean you want to shag me, Ron."

"I wasn't _scared_." Ron scoffed. "A little concerned maybe –that's not the point!"

"It's not?"

"No. It's like…I've tasted it, and I just want more of it."

"Oh? And you think I'm the most likely candidate?"

"Well, I know you wouldn't…you know, hurt me on purpose or something."

"Do you?" Harry tilted his head, "And how do you know that?"

"You're my best friend, Harry."

Harry nodded before he shook his head, "Which is the same reason I shouldn't even _consider _sleeping with you."

It's not like we'd have to do it right now! It was just…something to think about, I guess." Ron shrugged.

Harry nodded again, "Okay. Give me a couple of days and ask me again. I've got a lot of mystery work ahead of me right now, but…maybe I can pencil you in somewhere."

Ron nodded, "Okay. I'll remember that."

--

"What are you doing still in bed?" Hermione knocked on the door of Ron and Harry's room the next morning. "Are you feeling sick again?"

Ron yawned, rolling over, "Eh? What time is it?"

"Almost nine, but everyone else has been up for a long time –even Draco."

"Oh." Ron stretched out, sitting up, letting his covers fall down to his waist, "I'll be up in a minute."

"Is something wrong Ron?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "You've been in your room since yesterday…"

"It's nothing." Ron shrugged, shaking his head, "Everything is fine." He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Are you sure? Nothing is…going on…behind my back?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know that Draco likes you…he's not harassing you is he?"

"No, no. Don't even think that." He kissed again, this time on the mouth. "Everything's fine. I'm just tired."

"You're sure?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Positive." Ron nodded.

"Are…are you naked?" Hermione moved her hands around his waist, looking surprised. "I know it's warm, but it's not _that _warm… Should I be more concerned about Harry molesting you? Seeing as how he's not talking to Ginny now either."

"Just because I'm naked doesn't mean I'm _sleeping_ with someone, Hermione." Ron rolled his eyes, and pulled her over on top of him, laying back into his pillows. "But, since you're mentioning it…"

"Oh not this again, Ron." Hermione sighed. "I've told you _why_ I don't want to… Don't you get it? I'm just…It isn't that I'm not interested, Ron."

"I know." He nodded. "I just want you to think about it. I'm not always going to be rubbish, Herm."

"You're not rubbish, I never said that." Hermione sighed brushing her hair behind her shoulder, "I just said that it didn't feel right." She pressed her forehead down against his, "Do you want to break up with me because I won't sleep with you?"

"No, don't put words into my mouth." Ron sighed.

"But you do, don't you?"

"I don't want to break up with you Hermione. We've been going out for over six months now, but we haven't really done anything."

"So you do want to have sex."

"Well of course I do! I'm a guy! It's what we spend ninety-five percent of our day thinking about!" Ron scoffed.

Hermione sighed, sitting up, "Well, you're not getting any from me. You already know that…and aside from your sister and Tonks, I'm the only girl in the house." She looked surprised for a moment. "Are you shagging Tonks on the side?"

"What! Of course not!" Ron shook his head. "That's unthinkable! I respect her way to much to shag her!"

Hermione narrowed her eyes, "Excuse me?"

"…That came out wrong." He put his hands on her shoulders, "I'm not doing anything with Tonks. I promise."

"And what about Harry?"

"No."

"And Draco? …The truth, Ron. I know he was in here the other day, and I know if you lie to me."

"You already know he likes me."

"And you shagged with him." Hermione pushed his hands off of her shoulders. "I should have known better then to ask a question I didn't want the answer too."

"Hermione, it wasn't about you. I was stupid, and I knew right away I shouldn't have done it… He told me I could be a better lover…you know, for you, and I believed him." He sighed, shaking his head. "I was dumb."

"You're trying to legitimize your sleeping with a man by saying that you that you did it for me?" Hermione looked confused.

"I'm not—no. I just want you to try and understand what I'm going through. I mean, I've been in love with you since I met you, and then…Harry finds out that he's Snape's son, and we…go through this big change that you agree with…and it's like, Harry's life isn't the only one that's changed here. Our lives have changed too, Hermione."

"Our lives yes; not our sexualities!"

"I'm not gay, Herm." Ron shook his head. "You can sleep with men and not be gay."

"Can you really? I wouldn't know." Hermione got up from the bed, turning her back to him, "I don't know what to say to you right now, Ron, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not wrong when I say that I think it's better that we're not…a couple anymore."

"Hermione…" Ron started to get up to follow her, but ended up getting tangled in his sheets. "Herm! C'mon, just listen to me for a minute!"

"And let you dig yourself into a deeper hole? No thank you." Hermione turned back. "I love, Ron. I really do…but like you said, our lives changed last summer. You and Harry had this experience that I wasn't a part of and apparently Draco was…is a really big part of that. Maybe if I had gone along with the plan too, it would be different, we would be together, and happy, and you wouldn't feel so sexually repressed of the time. But I can't help you, Ron. That's not the kind of relationship I want with you."

"So, you're just going to break it off with me?"

"I think that's what you really want."

"Hermione, you don't really think that."

"If things were different…if I did everything it was that you wanted, and then some, would you have still slept with Draco?"

"I don't know. Maybe; he says things that—I don't know how to explain Draco. It was a fluke or something. I don't even know if it will happen again."

"Did you like it?" She asked.

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"Did you like it, Ronald? When he fucked you up the arse?"

"How do you know I didn't do him?" Ron asked. "Someone said something to you, didn't they? Did Harry tell you?"

"No one told me. It's obvious. Draco has always been the type to do the drilling, so to speak. Plus, he's got to break you in right? Maybe after a couple of go's he'll let you do him, but not the first time." Hermione shook her head.

"Is this some kind of sick hobby for you? Imagining up sex positions for your friends and enemies? How do you know so much about gay sex anyway?"

"I read." She scoffed. "And by the look on your face, I'm right. I'm also going to guess it wasn't a more conventional position either. You're probably still in bed because you're so damn sore." She crossed her arms, and sighed shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I'm getting angry and just lashing out at you." She pressed her fingers to her temples, and sighed. "Look, I think we agree that…our romantic relationship is over. So, lets just go back to being friends. I won't tell anyone about you and Draco."

Ron nodded, "Alright. I can agree to that."

"So, err…should we make some sort of…announcement or something, or just…go on, and if someone asks about it…"

"I think it would be weird if we made an announcement. It's not like we were engaged or something. God, Hermione. You think to far into things."

"Right." She nodded. "Sorry, bad habit. –I better get going, or Ginny and Harry will wonder what's happened…I'm helping them wade through some old documents. We think we might have found another horcrux. You should come help out."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Ron nodded. "Just, let me get dressed."

"Okay." She nodded. "We're in the living room, when you're ready."

Ron nodded, watching her leave the room, pulling the door closed softly behind her.

--

"What's going on in here?" Draco leaned on the back of the couch where Harry was going over a very old, very boring looking book. Ginny was in a chair across the room with a similar glazed look in her eye, and a pile of yellowing papers in her lap. Hermione seemed to be the only one undazed, scribbling together notes on a piece of parchment, while Ron was stretched out on the floor, having fallen asleep on top of a few more papers.

"We're doing research –something we unfortunately get side tracked from when you came along." Hermione sounded a little bitter. "You should leave, unless you plan on helping us."

"Maybe I do… What are you doing?"

Harry sighed, "Draco, just…leave, please?"

"I want to help, Harry. All I do all day is sit around and jerk off. It's fucking boring." Draco sighed.

Ginny's eyes became unglazed as she looked up, repulsed, "What?"

"I didn't mean 'jerk off' like that…I mean…never mind. The point is I'm bored off my arse."

"Well then, sit down." Harry patted the couch next to him, which Draco complied with a moment later. "Read this." He shifted the large tome from his lap to Draco's. "We're looking for anything regarding things that Voldemort may have…held dear to him, places, events that were important...anything that pops out at you regarding his life before, and after his first rise to power."

Draco raised an eyebrow starting to open his mouth, but Harry stopped him.

"It's to late. You already said you wanted to help. So get reading." Harry stood up, stretching his arms behind his head. "Ron –wake up." He nudged him with his food. "You're drooling all over important papers that have to be returned to the ministry."

"Eh?" Ron picked his head up, "Oh…right…reading." He picked himself up off of the floor, onto his knees, picking up the papers into a neat pile again. "Sorry Mate, I just can't seem to concentrate long enough to actually get through any of this. It's really bloody boring."

"Sorry, but until we find something, it means reading. Remus and Tonks are working at the ministry, and Severus and Jalan are working on potions for battle…and…" Harry sighed. "On the bright side, we are accomplishing things, aren't we Hermione?"

"Yes, I think so." She nodded. "I've got to have Tonks double check some of these facts, but I think we can safely say that we've found at least two of the remaining horcruxes, one of which might actually be in this very house." Hermione turned to look at Harry.

A few minutes later, the teenagers stood in front of the painting of Mrs. Black, who for once was being quiet, and looking annoyed back at them.

"What are you filthy mongrels staring at?" She finally asked.

"You're sure this is one of them, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Behind the painting, Harry." Hermione nodded. "Tom Riddle gave Sirius's father a gift, which he hid in a safe. What better place to put this safe then behind an unmovable painting of his wife?" Hermione looked up at the old witch, "Isn't that right Mrs. Black?"

"You're all heinous little children….except for you." She stared pointedly at Draco. "I can see that you've got lots of delicious darkness flowing about you."

"Er…right." Draco nodded. "You're a bit of a creepy old bat, aren't you?"

She laughed lightly, "There may, or may not be a safe behind this painting…but you'll never know will you?" She laughed a little more harshly this time.

"We will if we tunnel into the wall around you. I don't think your husband was smart enough to put any charms on the safe it's self, was he?" Hermione smiled smugly. "No, the painting would have been secure enough over it, right?"

"You can't do that!" Mrs. Black spat.

"We can, and we will…just as soon as we get the OK from the rest of the Order." Hermione stuck her tongue out at the old woman.

"…Really mature Hermione." Ron clapped her on the shoulders. "Really."

"How long will it be until we can assemble everyone? Do a vote or something." Harry asked.

"Well, I'll talk to Professor—I mean your Dad…Severus, right now, and he can start sending out owls right now, so hopefully everyone will get it by tomorrow." Hermione shrugged. "And in the mean time, I think we can pinpoint the location of the second item, but it might require a field trip."

"Field trip?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "I'm in!"

"You can't go." Hermione shook her head at him. "You're not a part of this."

"Excuse me?" Draco looked flabbergasted.

"You are not a part of this. Why don't you go hide in your room and wank off or something." Hermione crossed her arms.

"Hermione…stop." Harry touched her arms. "We need all of the help we can get –and who knows…maybe he'll know something."

Hermione took a deep breath, nodding, "You're right…especially since I think his Dad has the other item."

"Whoa…I am not stealing anything from my father for you!" Draco stepped back.

"We're not asking for you to steal anything." Hermione rolled her eyes. "I think we can…persuade your father into giving it to us."

"What do you mean?" Draco looked apprehensive.

"We're going to use you as bait." Hermione grinned. "It will be fun."

"Yes, until he kills me and leaves you all without a bargaining piece! I don't know why all of you think I'm so close to my Dad, I'm really not!" Draco looked repulsed. "Unfortunately, living in this house with you all is the closest thing to a real family I've ever had!"

Ginny turned to really look at him for the first time since Harry had returned to being Harry, "Is that…is that true?"

"Well, yeah!" Draco scoffed. "Growing up, my dad didn't pay attention to me unless he was using me to make himself look better! At least here I know where I stand with all of you –and…there's someone who cares about me." Draco wouldn't let himself glance over at Harry, who was already looking away, running his fingers along the frame of the painting as if looking for some kind of a latch.

"I'm sorry…I guess, you always seemed so pompus, and rude, always running to Daddy." Ginny shrugged. "—what about your Mum?"

"My mother? Are you joking me? There are days when I barely remember her face." Draco scoffed. "She's a horrible woman, and an alcoholic."

"Really?" Ron looked interested. "I thought your Mom always looked a little smashed."

"Well, she probably was." Draco shrugged. "Horrible, horrible woman…. I always made fun of you Weasleys, but I envy you. You've got a mother, a father, and a horde of siblings who would kill for you. You don't know how bloody lucky you are."

Hermione nodded, "I'm sorry…we're not always very nice to you, are we?"

"No, you aren't." Draco shook his head. "But I suppose we spent five years hating each other's guts, so it's not like I expect a group hug every time one of us walks into a fucking room, now do I?"

"Don't be so sarcastic." Harry spoke up, moving away from the painting and back towards the living room. "And stop trying to milk us for pity."

"I'm not!" Draco followed him, flanked by the others. "I'm just saying…compared to the rest of you, my life's been shit."

"Don't talk to me about shit lives, Draco Malfoy." Harry turned, just short of entering the living room. "You have no idea what shit is until you have to spend eleven years of your life living with muggles who think they can _beat_ magic out of a person. Try spending eleven years in the dark about your parents, how they died, why they left you, where the fuck your life is headed –and then…suddenly your so bloody famous, you can't walk outside without someone shaking your hand, and staring at your forehead."

Draco nodded, "Yea, that's bad. I'm not trying to say that your life wasn't as bad as mine. Hell, compared to what you've done, my life has been a picnic. I'm not _denying_ that, Harry."

"Guys, lets not fight, okay?" Ron stepped between them putting a hand on either of their chests, holding them apart. "I mean…you've both had pretty fucked up childhoods. But…right now, we're here, and we have work to do that has nothing to do with any of that." He turned to look at Harry, "Right?"

Harry looked at Draco for an extra moment, before looking at Ron, nodding, taking a step back and spoke up, "You're right… I have reading to do. We still have three horcruxes to find."

Note Pt. 2: Hmm…I think I have a different ending idea… I may write both. I may write neither. But on the off chance I write one of them, I'm going to use this as a fork-point. It can go either direction from here. I'm going to sleep on it, before I decided which ending is better… and here's a clue (if you want it…if you actually read this): Hermione doesn't matter, and Ginny only matters a little bit…liiiittle bit. Anyway, I would like to take a moment to address a comment made by DestinyEntwinements:

I'm not sure if I'll bring Sev back. It depends on what ending I pick, really. I don't want to give to much of my two ideas away, but it's become increasingly more obvious what those two possiblities are…err…three, if you wan to get technical. I am not thinking what all of you are apparently thinking.

Also, I would like to address the comment made by Mel:

You know…I, personally, am not that emotional, so I think that's why it doesn't get put into my writing…but that aside, I think what I'm trying to get through with Draco is that he's an independent kind of person –he doesn't want to let his feelings show, because that would mean weakness, and you know –being human, and Draco wants to think of himself as a god or something.

--Another little end note, I have NO idea why I went on that little side note of Ron/Hermione. No clue at all. Whatever. –Also, I mention the Horcruxes here (someone confirm for me that there are 4 left –I don't have my books, as I mentioned before… I am a horrible writer), but I'm not really sure how much of a side note I'm going to go on as, I have mentioned, I am not an adventure writer. I write smut. That's all.

Have a nice rest of your week/weekend/night/day, whatever.


	27. The Seduction of Harry Potter

Note: …I was working on making a siggy/banner for the story… Unfortunately, I can't draw for crap, so I had to use images of the actors from the movies, and other various sources…so it kind of turned out to be rubbish… (If I start to go on a tangent, feel free to just skip to the story, like I think most of you do anyway) –I was looking at some fan art (if you want to know what exactly, leave a message or e-mail me and I'll link it in the next chapter/e-mail it), and I came to this conclusion: Severus and Sirius look the _same_. I mean, I see a sundry of Remus/Sirius fan arts, and I'm like…dude, that's so _not_ Sirius looking to me. It looks like friggin' Severus! I don't understand it! …Oh well. And I tried to get out this whole 'feelings' thing here… Tell me if you think it worked or if they just sound…you know…gay. –Again, there will (eventually, not right away) be an unedited/bonus chapter on my Yahoo!Group (link in my profile). –Also, yes, I blatantly stole that 'rule' from Pretty Woman, staring Julia Roberts and Richard Greer.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"So you really think that one of the horcrux is behind this wall?" Arthur seemed apprehensive to let the teenagers make a hole in the wall. "And err…if you _do_ this…tunneling, can you fix the wall?"

"It shouldn't be that hard…I watched a lot of home improvement shows when I was home last summer." Hermione shrugged. "It should be easy, with a bit of plaster, and dry wall. We'll make it as neat as possible –you'll never notice."

Arthur nodded, "Alright. You can do it." He turned to Harry. "Are there any ideas about the locations of the other horcruxes?"

"Hermione thinks that this one might be in the hands of Lucius Malfoy." Harry pulled out a tracing of a painting, "But Draco say's he's never seen it –which means it's either been sold, or that it's hidden somewhere on the Malfoy estate."

Arthur nodded, "So, we have a little breaking and entering to do?"

"Not exactly…" Hermione pushed Draco forward. "We're sending him home."

"What?" Draco whipped around, surprised. "I'm not going back there! Do you want me to die?! –Wait, what am I talking about, of course you want me dead!"

"It's not a matter of wanting you _dead_ Draco. It's a matter of _you_ being the sole person who knows the in and outs of your house. If anyone here can get us inside, it's you."

"You're over estimating my talents. My parents have probably already put up every security spell known to man. They know you're looking for the horcruxes –they probably know that that painting is one of them. It's not like we can just go in and take it."

"Stop saying _can't_ all of the time Draco, and get some balls!" Hermione sighed. "We have enough people in the ministry in this group –we can get you in and out. Tonks and I have been going over logistics of a mission like this…"

"It's not foolproof…" Tonks spoke up. "But if it's just Me, Harry, and Draco…we can make it work, and hopefully no causalities."

Draco narrowed his eyes, "And all of you are just going to agree to this?"

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Harry crossed his arms, "But, it would be better if you did…if you want to stay here. You're on probation as it is, Draco, because we don't know if we can trust you. …But the more you help us, the more of a chance you have of regaining your rights."

"You mean…if I help you, you'll give me my wand back?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

Harry shrugged, "It's a possibility."

"And I just have to get you this painting? Show you some of the hidden crannies that my Mum and Dad like to hide their Dark Art stuff?"

Harry nodded.

"And what if it's not there?" Draco asked. "Does that mean that I have to keep being an exile?"

"It's all going to depend on your attitude through out this." Harry shook his head. "And I'm not the one that ultimately decides –it's them." He tilted his head back towards the group of older members of the Order. "So, lets just say you had better be on your best behavior."

Draco nodded, "Fine…but I refused to be as anything other then a guide! I am not bait and I am not a trade."

"Understood." Hermione nodded. "But before we can even think about going there –we have to into this wall."

"We'll start that tomorrow…how about right now we stop with the excitement and just have some dinner, hmm?" Remus suggested, ushering everyone towards the kitchen. "—You guys, get together all of the papers you're finished with now so Kingsley can take them back with him to the office tomorrow."

"I'll do it." Harry offered, "You guys go eat." He moved towards the living room, listening to everyone else move noisily into the kitchen.

"You need some help?" Draco leaned in the doorway of he living room.

"No, I've got it." Harry didn't turn to look at him, afraid of what he would see.

"Let me help anyway." Draco was beside him, closing books, and organizing the papers into piles, and back into their right folders.

"You don't have to." Harry pushed his hands away. "I've got it. Just…go eat dinner."

"I don't like eating with all of those people. It just reminds me that I don't belong here." Draco moved away from the table, sitting in one of the chairs, watching Harry put the file folders into a crate.

"Don't be stupid. Of course you belong here."

"Maybe when…you were Sev I belonged here… but now, I'm just this lone Slytherin reject who everyone casts aside as a horny prat."

"Are they wrong?" Harry looked up, "Are you anything besides that?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I know you slept with Ron. Hermione knows too. –God, Draco. You couldn't even go a whole day before moving in on my best friend! Was that supposed to be some kind of…punishment or something?"

"No. Why would you think something like that?"

"Draco, you are so fucking stupid." Harry sighed. "How could I think anything else? The whole time we were 'together', you kept telling me that you loved me, and no one else… Was that a lie? A fucking pretty lie just to make me feel good about myself?"

"No, I really, I do care about you." Draco shook his head. "I just…I guess I have to show that…by making you jealous, or something."

"Well it works, are you happy?"

"You know, you're the one that decided to leave me, not the other way around. I didn't get any say, or any part in you being Harry Potter instead of Sev."

"We agreed –as soon as the potion was ready, we were going to separate."

"I suggested it, you didn't have to agree to it. You could have said, 'No, Draco, because I can't be apart from you, it would tear me up in the inside, especially since I know what a big slut you are'."

Harry squinted his eyes, "I wouldn't say that."

"Exactly –you didn't." Draco shrugged. "So I did the first thing that came to mind… I slept with someone else."

"Did that someone else really have to be _Ron_?"

Draco pondered for a moment, "Well, why not Ron? He's attractive, isn't completely repulsed by me anymore, has a dick…"

Harry shook his head, "I'm not talking about this anymore."

"Of course you're not –you never want to fight with me." Draco stood up, standing in front of him, pinning him against the table. "You always stop yourself, you never said what you need to say."

"Neither do you, Draco. You act so damn aloof and uncaring all of the time." Harry took Draco's wrists, holding them at his sides as he moved to brush his hair back. "Don't...don't touch me."

"Harry…"

"Look, no. What's done is done, and…and that's all." Harry let go of his wrists, and pushed him away.

"Stop ignoring all of this." Draco grabbed him around the waist, sinking to his knees.

"What are you doing? Get up…get off of me." Harry started pulling at his hands.

"No, not until we really express what the hell went wrong –why we're so fucked up." Draco held tighter as Harry's fingers dug into his arm.

"Jeez, Draco –what if someone walks in on this? Get up!"

"They're all eating –no one is going to see…Or hear. C'mon…say what you really feel."

"Get _off_ of me!" Harry's nails dug into his arm.

"No, not until you tell me how you feel! Scream at me, hit me, I don't care. Do something that tells me you still _care_." Draco looked up at him pleading.

"That's just the problem, Draco." Harry put a hand on the top of his head, letting his fingers trail over his blond locks, "I can't care about you anymore. Don't you understand?"

"I still care about you."

Harry sighed, feeling Draco's arms loosen around his waist as he knelt down in front of him, "I don't know what I feel for you Draco. That's the truth. Part of me wants to fuck you because you are just so…amazing to me. The other part of me wants to leave you behind once and for all and just move on, because it seems that…all I get from being with you is this overwhelming sense of loss all of the time."

"But do I make you happy?" Draco let his hands fall into his lap, looking dejected.

Harry took a moment before nodding, "You do…you did. And now, you can make someone else happy."

"No, I can't! How can I do anything when I'm trapped in this house? And if I leave, I'll be killed! If I stay here, I get smothered! There is no half way point, Harry! Your Dad should have just let me die!"

"What's going on in here?" The two of them turned to see Remus standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and eyebrows raised.

"Nothing…We were just coming to dinner." Harry started to stand, only to be yanked back down by the pant leg.

"No! This isn't over! I'm not done yet! _You're_ not done yet!" Draco argued.

"We're _done_." Harry unlatched himself. "You can stay here if you want, but I'm going to eat."

"Why are you fucking afraid of show me something –any kind of emotion?" Draco shouted after him.

"Draco…come on. Get up." Remus waited a moment for Harry to disappear towards the kitchen before he entered the room, kneeling down in front of Draco. "He's really...it's not worth crying over."

"How do you do this? How do you and Professor Snape stay together without wanting to rip each other open?" Draco asked, pushing his offer of a hand up away.

"Practice…patience…" Remus shrugged. "And we spent a lot of time apart. Maybe that's just what you and Harry need. He cares about you, Draco, but…he needs to look after other people for awhile."

"_Fuck_." Draco sighed, covering his face with his hands.

"Look…if it makes you feel better…he's just like his father, and while you're not much like me in many respects…" Remus shrugged. "You'll be fine without him. It's nice when he's there, yes…but, you can survive."

"I don't want to just survive."

--

"What's wrong?" Ron asked as he and Harry both changed for bed later that night.

"It's nothing really, just…Draco. He's being all…hormonal."

"What do you mean?"

"He keeps trying to get me to tell him my feelings and crap like that."

"Well, why don't you?"

"I just want him to stop Ron; telling him what I feel for him isn't going to make that any easier."

Ron shrugged, running his hands through his shaggy red hair, and then down his t-shirted chest, "Well, it's just Draco being…Draco. And besides, it's about time he let go of some of that pent up emotion inside of him." He yawned, pulling back the covers on his bed, taking a couple of extra moments to watch Harry pull a t-shirt down, over his head, before sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I'm just frustrated." Harry slid into bed under the covers, curling one of his arms above his head, "Every time I see him, I just want to…be like we used to be, but then it's like…it's so good to be without him too."

Ron continued to sit for a moment, before standing and getting up to kneel on the edge of Harry's bed, "Do you think he's better off with out you?"

"I don't know. He's so…hung up on it." Harry turned his head to look at him, smiling slightly, "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Ron shifted, putting his knees on either side of Harry's hips, sitting back. "You just, you looked really cute."

Harry gave a breath of a laugh, "You're not so bad yourself, once you get over the fact that you're my best friend."

"Does that really bother you?" Ron asked, brushing his fingers over Harry's hair, pushing it away from his face. "I mean, it isn't like I want to try this to…mess up our friendship. I want us to be…closer."

"And you think that sex would do that?"

"You never know what might bring people closer."

"Ron..." Harry sighed, turning away, "I don't know...I've only ever had sex with one person before, what if you don't like it?"

Ron sighed, "Harry, I've only ever had sex with one guy. You've probably still got loads of experience over me." He started to lean forward to kiss him, but Harry stopped him putting his hands on his shoulders, "What? What's wrong?"

"Ron, sex isn't going to make anything better."

"I don't want to do it because I think it will make something better –I want to do it because I find you attractive...sexy even."

"Oh is that right? When did you decide that?"

"I knew you were handsome the first time I ever saw you, but…I was already falling for Hermione then, you know that. But then, after last summer when I found out that…you thought that stuff like this was…okay, I started to really think about what it would be like to be with you."

"Hmm." Harry murmured, letting his hands slide from Ron's shoulders to his hips, "And have you considered the consequences of these actions?"

Ron considered for a moment, "Nothing can happen to me that's going to change my mind, Harry. The worst thing that could happen would be that you stopped being my friend…but sex, one time, isn't going to change that."

"You'd be surprised what one night of sex can do to a person." Harry's fingers pushed underneath the hem of Ron's t-shirt. "And…if we do, I think we should probably make some rules, you know?"

"Like what?" Ron leaned back, Harry's hands then moving back down his hips and thighs to his knees.

Harry looked away for a minute, before looking back, "Do you know what one of the most erotic things you can do with a person is?"

Ron raised an eyebrow, "Err...is this something kinky?"

Harry laughed, shaking his head, "No…no, you really wouldn't think about this."

"I don't know. What." Ron shrugged.

"Kissing on the mouth."

Ron nodded, "Ah, right, so no kissing on the mouth."

"Also, we take turns. I fuck you, you fuck me, or which ever. It doesn't matter the order."

"Are you sure? I really don't know what I'm doing…"

"You won't learn unless you try, and really…after being fucked by Draco for almost a year, I'm pretty sure I can handle any kind of fumbling on your part. –Those are my rules. What're yours?"

"No nails." Ron cringed. "Or, at least no lasting marks."

"Oh, good –I was just going to object." Harry teased him, flexing his fingers on Ron's knees. "A few little red marks never killed anyone."

"Just…not hard, and don't make me bleed." Ron sighed, pressing his forehead down onto Harry's chest. "It isn't erotic, and it just really bloody hurts."

"Understood." Harry lifted Ron's head to press a kiss to his cheek, "What else?"

"I want to face you –none of his doggy position shit."

"You sure you want that?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded, "Yea, I'm sure. –And what happens when one of our rules is broken?"

"Are they going to get broken?" Harry raised an eyebrow, questioning.

"You never know…you might dig down a little to hard, or I might just…loose it and shove my tongue in your mouth."

"Then…the other person gets to break a rule of their choice."

"Are you rules pliable enough for that?"

"Would you prefer a punishment?"

"Umm…is this a sexy punishment?"

"No." Harry shook his head, "It would be a real punishment."

"Oh?" Ron raised his eyebrow.

"I, er, learned this spell once…it keeps you from orgasm."

"Do I even want to know where you learned this spell?"

"No, probably not…you really don't." Harry shook his head.

"Does it…hurt?"

"Umm…yes and no, you could say that it's…erotic, but it really does start to hurt, especially with a continued stimulus."

"Is it safe?"

"I wouldn't make you do it for more then five or ten minute, Ron; as long as you could handle it." Harry brushed Ron's hair back away from his face for a moment, before letting it fall back over his eyes.

"How come you automatically assume that I'll be the one who breaks the rules?"

"Because I can see it in your eyes how badly you want to kiss me."

"There are more places to kiss then your mouth." Ron scoffed. "For example…" He leaned forward, kissing each spot as he named it, "Your forehead, under your ear, your throat…"

Harry smiled, "You really want to shag, don't you?"

"I don't think that's a question anymore." Ron sat up on his knees, sliding his hand to Harry's crotch, "And you really can't say that you don't want to either."


	28. The Secret of Draco Malfoy

Note: If this goes over...thirty-five chapters, you have permission to beat me. –Also…Yes. Ron is a bit of a wench, isn't he? –This eludes to bits of the bonus chapter, now posted on my yahoo!group ( www.groups. , which is again only 18+, sorry) –Also, there is "implied", and discussed incest in this chapter; my apologies, but it does explain a bit about why Draco is so fucked up, doesn't it? Also, sorry it's taking so long to update. I got a bit of writers block.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ron lay awake for awhile after Harry had returned to his own bed. He could hear Harry snoring quietly across the room, and he touch his fingers to his lips where Harry had kissed him –justifying it as not breaking the 'rules' since they had been 'finished', and he could still taste, everything, in his mouth. He got up quietly, picking up their discarded clothes from the floor, pulling on the first pair of shorts he could find on the floor before slipping out of the room towards the bathroom.

"Sounds like you were having fun in there." Ron was surprised as a hand touched his shoulder just as he was about to push open the bathroom door. He whipped around, _not_ surprised to see Draco.

"Do you always lurk about at night, listening at keyholes?" Ron asked.

"I just happened to catch a bit of it as I was going to bed." Draco wiped his thumb across a still damp spot on Ron's chest, sampling it. "Mm…I see you _did_ have fun."

"Just…leave me alone Draco." Ron turned, starting to turn the knob on the bathroom door again.

"Did it feel good?" Draco asked, his arms wrapping around Ron's waist.

"Get off." Ron pushed the door open before prying Draco's hands off, "I want to get a shower and go to bed."

"Why? Do you feel dirty now? You fuck for an hour with your best friend of six years, and you feel dirty?" Draco's tongue lapped up his neck.

"Why can't you take a hint?" Ron asked, pulling away from him, stepping into the bathroom, starting to shut the door, just to have Draco wedge between it and the frame.

"I fucked you as a punishment for him…but why did you do it?" Draco shrugged. "Why would you fuck either one of us?"

"I fucked _you_ because I figured it would be a good place to start –I fucked _him_ because I love him." Ron jabbed his index finger into Draco's chest as he spoke. "Now please, go to bed, and just…leave me…us, alone."

"I can't do that." Draco shook his head.

"You'd be surprised what you can do when you put your mind to it… Now, please. This is the last time I'm going to ask you to leave." Ron crossed his arms over his chest.

Draco nodded, "Right. Good night." He pulled the door shut quietly behind him, and Ron sank down on the edge of the tub, hiding his face behind his hands.

--

"Where'd you go last night?" Harry asked as they were getting dressed the next morning. "I woke up ready for another go, and you weren't here." He smiled to show Ron that he was teasing.

"I was in the shower."

Harry nodded, "Oh. I thought I had heard talking in the hall, but I figured it was just Remus and my Dad. They do that a lot."

"No, it was…me and Draco. He was out and about last night, I guess."

"Did he hear us?"

"I don't know. I guess."

"What did he say?" Harry asked, turning to sit on the edge of his bed, watching Ron finish dressing.

Ron shrugged, "Not a whole lot. Nothing bearing repetition anyway."

"Ron, about last night…" Harry ran his fingers through his hair. "It was really good."

"But you don't want to do it again." Ron nodded. "I understand."

"No, that's not what I'm saying!" Harry shook his head. "I do, I want to do it again, really bad…but, not while we're here…"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"I feel like I'd be shoving a new…relationship in Draco's face, and he doesn't deserve that. I know I hurt him, I hurt him a lot. This isn't something that he needs flaunted –and if we keep doing it, more people are going to find out. It's one thing for the teenagers of the house to know, but…I don't want Severus and Remus, or your parents to find out." Harry shrugged. "Do you…do you understand?"

Ron nodded again, "Yeah, I guess."

"Do you not want to…again?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"No! I mean…yes…I do, want to, Harry. I just thought…" Ron shrugged, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter –lets just get to work on that wall today, okay? And start work on finding the other horcruxes."

"Do you think we'll find them before the summer is up?" Harry asked, following Ron out of the room.

"I hope so." Ron shrugged. "The sooner we find them, the sooner that you can defeat You-Know-Who."

Harry shook his head, smiling, "I love how you can never say Voldemort. It's so cute."

Ron cringed at the Dark Lord's name, "Anyway…"

"You two are up early…considering the night you had." Draco was already sitting at the table eating cereal in otherwise empty kitchen.

"Are you always lurking about trying to ruin our summer at all times of day and night?" Ron asked.

"Hmm…I'm just trying to serve as a reminder is all." Draco shrugged.

"A reminder of what, exactly; how fucking stupid I was to ever sleep with you?" Harry asked, pulling down two bowls from the cupboard and two spoons from the drawer while Ron pulled out a box of cereal, and the milk.

"How about too reveal fact that you're a prat to the first degree?" Draco asked.

Ron shook his head, pouring cereal into his bowl first, then handing the box off to Harry, following it up with the milk, "You have problems, Draco. You need to get out of the house."

"To bad I'm under house arrest for the rest of my life." Draco scoffed. "Least I find out where the _fuck_ we are. Tell me, are we even in the U.K. anymore?"

"Of course we are." Ron shook his head. "You're so melodramatic. You'll get out soon enough –just relax."

"Oh right, out of the house to lead you around my parent's estate…that sounds like loads of outdoor fun." Draco let his spoon clatter loudly in the bowl, leaning back in his chair. "Not to mention the fact that I can't use _magic_ so I have to spend my days living like a filthy muggle."

"Shut up." Harry snapped.

"You were a lot of more fun when you were trying to fit in with the Slytherins." Draco scoffed.

"Well, guess what, I'm not a Slytherin anymore, am I?" Harry shrugged. "So, instead of arguing all of the time, why don't _you_ try fitting in for once?"

"Go to hell."

"Trust me, I have a feeling that is exactly where I'll be by the time this summer is over." Harry plunked his bowl of cereal down loudly on the table, splashing milk over the sides and onto the table.

"Aren't you being a bit melancholic?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "Don't be so glum Potter, it doesn't suit you at all."

"Why do you have to be such a bloody bastard all of the time?" Ron asked, leaning against the counter top to eat.

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it's not _me_ being the one that is incorrigible here?" Draco asked.

Harry shook his head, "No, because you are."

"I hate you." Draco spat, "I hate you both." He stood up, shoving his chair roughly back against the table, pushing out of the kitchen.

Ron bit his tongue, looking at Harry, "He doesn't mean that, Harry."

"It doesn't matter." Harry shook his head, shoveling spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth, "He can say and do whatever he wants."

"Harry…" Ron sighed, moving to sit next to him.

"No, I'm serious. I'm finished with him."

"Okay, we're here." Draco flipped a switch turning on the overhead lights of his father's underground study, "If my family is hiding anything, it will be in this room. Have at it." He leaned against the bare desk, crossing his arms. It had been three days since the trio, meaning Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had uncased a silver goblet belonging to the Riddle Family, and destroyed it. Now they were looking for a painting depicting a younger Tom Riddle, most likely hidden somewhere in the Malfoy mansion.

"Aren't you going to help us?" Harry asked, looking around the room, "Are there any other secret passages down here?"

"Oh yeah, there's a treasure room behind that wall filled with all of the Malfoy gold and silver." Draco rolled his eyes, "No, this is it."

Tonks nodded, taking a look around, "Well, there can't be to many places a painting could be hidden, right?"

"You'd be surprised." The chair that had been turned away from the door slowly turned to face the trio, "maybe I can help you find whatever it is that you're looking for…"

"Dad!" Draco looked surprised, moved away from the desk.

"Son," Lucius tapped his fingers to his lips. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up again. How are you? If I remember correctly, you took quite the beating when you and Severus left."

"I'm fine." Draco nodded.

"So, tell me…what are you looking for?" Lucius asked, "You obviously must want it if you asked _Draco_ of all people to help you out, isn't that right Potter?" He stood up from the chair, moving around the desk.

"You already know what we're looking for, don't you Dad?" Draco asked, biting his tongue.

Lucius laughed, "I do…and I'll give it to you."

"Oh really?" Harry asked, "And what do you want in return? Draco has already made us promise to not make him a bargaining piece, so if you think you're going to ask for your son back –that's up to him, not us."

"Oh, I don't want him back." Lucius shook his head, stroking a finger across Draco's jaw. "I don't have the resources to keep him hidden…but," he looked up at Harry, "I do want you to promise to keep him safe. You've obviously seen fit to trust him so far. Draco has done nothing wrong. Have you?" He turned back to his son.

Draco didn't reply, averting his eyes to avoid looking any of them in the eye.

"I didn't think so." Lucius let his hand run across Draco's back as he moved away from him, opening a trunk in the far corner of the room, and withdrawing a long tube, "I assume this is what you're looking for?" He handed the tube to Harry, "You can open it if you want; it isn't going bite."

Harry nodded, untying the clasp to unfurl the painting, nodding, "This is it."

Lucius nodded, "I suppose talking to my son in private would be out of the question?"

Harry looked at Tonks, who shrugged, so he looked at Draco, "That depends on Draco, I guess."

"You're not going to get anything out of me, if that's what you want. Anything you say, they should probably hear it too." Draco leaned against the desk again.

"You sure you want them to hear?" Lucius asked, "I'd think you'd want to keep it a little more secret. After all, you don't want your boyfriend to know you fuck your father, do you?"

Draco bit down harder on his tongue, and Harry tried to disguise his surprised gasp in a coughing fit.

"That's the only reason you're down here, isn't it?" Draco asked, "You thought you'd give us the painting, and get your back your plaything? Well guess what _Dad_, it isn't going to happen that way."

"It may not happen today…or tomorrow, but you will come back, Draco. You always come back." Lucius moved across the room again, "And when you do, I will be waiting, because that is what I do."

Draco's breath caught as his father pressed a kiss to his mouth, waiting for a moment before pushing him away, "It's time to go."

"Yes…run away, Draco." Lucius leaned against the desk, watching them leave, "I'll give you ten minutes of a head start before I sound the alarm. You may want to watch your back."

Once outside, and safely out of harms way in the forest just outside of the Malfoy grounds, Harry shoved Draco roughly into a large oak.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Say anything about what?" Draco asked, dusted dirt from his clothes, "That my Dad is a pedophile? Sorry, it never really seemed like good dinner conversation, you know?" He shrugged, "Besides, it doesn't matter."

"Of course it _matters_!" Harry shook his head, "This explains _so_ much about you."

"Oh really?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "Please, enlighten me O wise one."

"Okay, look you two…we need to get back to headquarters." Tonks was looking around worried, "Lucius was kidding about sounding an alarm, and we may be safe now, but we better disappear."

"But I'm not finished yelling at him yet." Harry protested.

"You can yell at the house –c'mon." Tonks urged the two of them closer, "Go!"

The two of them disappeared, reappearing about a block from headquarters.

"Do I have to put this stupid blindfold on again?" Draco started pulling the fabric from his back pocket

"No, you won't remember anyway." Harry shook his head. "So, your Dad…he really…"

"Yeah, he did." Draco shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as they walked, "But, he obviously doesn't…anymore, so, lets just forget about it okay?"

"How can you be so…apathetic about this?"

"Because, it's just a part of me, Harry, it's not like when it started I knew the difference. My father and I were always close. It wasn't until I got into school, and started to see other people that I realized that it was, you know…taboo."

"How old were you?"

"How old was I went?"

"When you had sex with him?"

"You mean like…penetrative?"

"Yeah."

"Well" He pondered, "I think it was…Christmas vacation of third year."

"And before that?"

"A lot of the time it was oral." Draco looked up at the sky, "Do we really have to talk about this? It's kind of an uncomfortable subject."

"And how old were you then?" Harry ignored his request

"When I started sucking off my Dad, you mean? I was maybe eight or nine."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm telling you, I didn't _know_ it was wrong, Harry. Not until I got into school, anyway, and by then I was so far into it, and..." he sighed, "I guess, he was my first love, or something like that. I couldn't say _no_ to him."

"Of course you could, Draco!"

"Look, why don't we just agree to forget that you heard that, alright?"

"You expect me to just _forget_ that?" Harry shook his head, pulling him towards the door of Headquarters, which Draco obviously couldn't see.

"Why do you care so much?" Draco was surprised to find himself pulled into the foyer of Headquarters, "Whoa, that was weird."

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone –after you figured it out, I mean. Why would you _continue_ it?" Harry looked disturbed, taking the tube with the painting in it to the living room where Hermione was already concocting a potion in which to destroy the horcrux.

"Why should I have? Who do you suggest I should have told? Besides, it isn't like it's anyone's business but mine, so just…back off." Draco shrugged, "Hey, where's Tonks?"

"Coming from the other direction, she'll probably be here in a few minutes." Harry put the painting down next to Hermione.

"Sounds like you two had an adventure…" Hermione and Severus looked up from where they were each carefully adding things to the potion, "What happened?"

"We got caught…sort of." Harry took a seat on the edge of the table, "But luckily, it turns out that Lucius isn't as bad as we thought."

"You find out he fucks his son, and he's not a bad guy?" Draco raised an eyebrow, "You think that just because he let us go, that it _means_ something, Harry? Trust me, he didn't let us go because he wanted to, he didn't give us the painting because he _wanted_ to. He was probably told to."

Severus raised an eyebrow, "…I'm choosing to think that I heard that first bit wrong…very wrong. –The second bit though…Lucius caught you?"

"He was waiting for us." Harry crossed his arms over his chest, "It was strange, he didn't really put up a fight. He just…gave us the painting."

"Yeah, after he humiliated me." Draco threw himself into a chair.

"What _exactly_ happened?" Severus asked, starting to open the tube, unrolling the painting.

"Well, we got into the house, and into the study." Harry started.

"And my father must have seen us come in." Draco shrugged, "He was waiting for us, was very intimidating, said he'd give us what we wanted."

"—If we promised to keep Draco safe. He said something about not having the resources to keep him safe, or something."

"Hmm. I don't doubt that." Severus scoffed, "The Malfoy mansion has always had an open invitation for anything Death Eater related. I don't think there is a single thing in that house that the Dark Lord doesn't know about. He can smell treachery a mile away."

"…Then how did you get in and out?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Severus pondered for a moment, "I got closer to him then anyone else could."

"And what is that supposed to imply?" Harry asked.

"Hmm…that's not exactly something I want my son to know, I think. –Move aside Hermione, I'm fairly sure this is ready now."

Hermione took a step back from the cauldron, "What happens if the painting is a horcrux?"

"Well then, we won't get to see any pretty colors, and this will really just look like a pot of water with a bunch of a crud in it, and a very water-logged piece of canvas." Severus shrugged, before dropping the frayed canvas into the potion.

For a few moments nothing happened, but then an explosion of sparks, as Tonks entered the room, finally back from when they had split up. The group dropped to the floor, until the sparks had fizzled out.

"Well…I think it's safe to say we're down to only two more horcruxes. Not bad for a summer's work." Hermione dusted herself off.

"I am too old for this." Severus groaned, getting up onto his knees.

"What happened?" Tonks's arrival was flanked by Remus, Molly, and Jalan, "Sevvie, are you okay?"

"Fine, Remus. We just destroyed another horcrux, that's all." Severus took Remus's hands as he helped him up from the floor.

"Well, you all have excellent timing then –Dinner is ready."


	29. The Private Afternoon

Note: Sorry it's been such a long time. Lots of things have come up, and I finished my first year of college (Scary!), and now the last book is coming out (also scary!)…busy, busy, busy. Hopefully this won't disappoint, though I am sure that I don't like how this chapter ended…kind of abrupt. I'm not entirely sure where I was going with this…gah.

Harry Potter and the Great War

Chapter Twenty-nine

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" Draco looked up at Harry, whose eyes had wandered from a boring text in front of him to stare rather intently at Draco who was similarly arranged on the couch in the living room, a horde of old Daily Prophet issues on his lap.

"I'm not staring," Harry shook his head. "My eyes are just, err…wandering."

"Look, I know you're thinking about me and my Dad, but please…just trust me, and lay off of it. Stop turning it into something sick, and just let it go."

"_I'm_ turning it into something sick? Draco, it was sick to begin with."

"Just…leave it alone, okay?" Draco was steadily turning a shade of red that could rival any color of embarrassment one of the Weasley's could dredge up.

"Sorry," Harry turned his eyes back to the book on his lap, glad that they had the house almost to themselves. All of the adults had gone about some Order business, leaving only Professor Jalan, who had retired to his room claiming a headache earlier that morning, and Severus whom was reading the Prophet at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. Hermione had gone with Tonks to the Ministry to look through some files that weren't available to be taken out of the Ministry offices, and Ron and Ginny had chosen to go to Diagon Alley and help out Fred and George with a sale at Weasley Wizard Wheezes while Molly did some shopping for the Order.

"Harry…" Draco spoke up a few minutes later after they had fallen back into silence.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought that, er… that you might be a horcrux?"

Harry looked up over the top of his glasses, "The thought has crossed my mind, sure, but…I don't know. It doesn't seem to quite make sense. I was marked, sure, but I don't think that Voldemort is actually…inside of me or something." He ignored Draco's flinch. "Getting in my head via magic or something is one thing, but being a horcrux? I don't think so."

"Oh. Okay. I was just…wondering, 'cause you know…technically you'd have to die in order for you to kill You-Know-Who, right?"

"Shut up, I'm not going to die."

"I wasn't saying that I think you are, Harry."

Harry remained silent, adjusting his position on the couch, and averting his eyes back down. Within seconds, his mind had drifted from Draco thinking that he was already on death row and back to Draco and his father. He couldn't help it, even though it had been almost a week since they had first found out about them. It was morbid, but his imagination ran wild with imagery of the two blondes ensnared together on expensive bedding in low lighting with soft music playing and lots of panting.

Draco had obviously been watching Harry's eyes glaze over, and his expression must have showed the mixture of repulsion and excitement that he was feeling because he cleared his throat loudly, shaking Harry back to his book.

"How's your research coming along?" Severus emerged from the kitchen, in a disturbingly good mood, having removed the bandages that morning to find the scarring minimal (though the mark was still fairly obvious) and had taken, as he had the summer before, to donning a pair of muggle jeans and a thin, emerald green sweater.

"It's crap," Harry sighed, watching Severus sit on the couch, down from Draco. "It's like…I need a personal interview with Voldemort himself," he ignored their collective twitch, but neither Severus nor Draco corrected his use of the name, "in order to find the last two personal objects. I mean, the Diary made sense, the painting, and the goblet…all of them were handed off to someone else, disguised as gifts at one point or another, but who else would have been important enough for Vold—would you two stop flinching like that? I'm trying to have a serious rant here, and your fidgeting is throwing me off."

"The Dark Lord often gives gifts to followers who have done him a great service," Severus spoke over the lip of an earthen coffee mug. "Even I received a, err…gift, before his first demise."

"And what service did you perform for him?" Draco asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Well, I did a good bit of formation planning, and potion making. There a short period of time during my double-agent work when I was at his right hand." Severus was slowly turning a shade of pink, and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"And what part of the story are you leaving out?"

"Well, it's not something you teenagers would really care to hear about, really," He took another drink from the mug, even though Harry was sure it was probably empty by now.

"Oh please," Harry scoffed. "It can't be any worse then anything I already know about you and your lucid past."

Severus hummed, "Quite the contrary, actually."

Draco let his eyes rove over his former professor, shuffling the papers in his lap absentmindedly, "You did something more for him, didn't you? You got closer to him then he would have allowed anyone else."

"In a way," Severus's answer was still relatively cryptic.

"What did he give you?" Harry asked.

Severus couldn't resist the soft smile that played on his lips, "The Dark Lord has –had a lovely wardrobe. He presented me with one of his best cloaks… It was gorgeous. I still have it, granted all of my belongings are still in my house, and the Death Eaters haven't ransacked it looking for me."

"You have a house?" Harry asked, confused.

"Hmm," Severus nodded. "Tucked away in a shabby muggle neighborhood called Spinners End –it was Jalan's house before he retired to the tropics, and I guess I just never left."

"Would you say this cloak was…err, personal?"

"Well, he rarely went anywhere where he wanted to appear regal without it, so…yes, I suppose it was rather personal, why?"

"Do you think that, maybe…" Harry let himself trail off, and Severus raised an eyebrow.

"You are _not_ thinking of wanting to destroy one of my most prized possessions."

"I never said anything about destroying it…since when have we destroyed anything? The goblet is still in one piece, and the painting, though rather blurred, is still in one piece… No one said anything about destroying anything." Harry scoffed, "Besides, isn't it a little…questionable that you would want to _keep_ something like that?"

"It might be rather valuable one day," Severus shrugged. "A bit of a collectors item."

"You just don't want to admit that you may have been harboring a horcrux for seventeen years," Harry shook his head. "Or does that cloak mean something more to you then you want to let on?"

"It does mean something to me," Severus nodded. "I'll admit that."

"Does _Remus_ know how close to the Dark Lord you were?" Draco spoke up, still staring rather intently.

Severus raised an eyebrow, "Yes, yes he does, but I don't see what that has to do with anything, Draco. Unless," His eyebrow raised further, "you know something?"

Draco shrugged, "I wasn't the only guy my Dad ever did it with…a couple of secrets may have gotten spilled."

No sense of emotion at all crossed Severus's face, and he didn't seem at all surprised as he gave a slight shrug, "Ah, well then, you must know how much of an honor it is to be bequeathed such a personal gift –the painting, I'm sure your father told you, was his after his..." He thought for the right word, silencing for a moment, "_duties_."

"I would hardly call fucking an evil overlord part of a 'duty'," Draco scoffed loudly. Again, Severus hardly seemed moved, but Harry's mouth dropped open involuntarily.

"You did _what_? You're a regular harlot, aren't you?"

Severus turned to look at his son, tilting his head ever so slightly, "Don't be silly."

"Who else have you slept with? It seems like every person brought around you've had some kind of an escapade with."

"I don't think you can really complain much," Severus shrugged. "Or do I need to bring up _your_ sexual escapades as well? I think we both, as well as most of the inhabitants of this house, are quite aware of the goings on in _your_ bedroom."

Draco laughed softly, a smile playing his lips, his face brightening with a new-found respect for his former Professor.

"And what are you laughing about? You're even worse then he is," Severus turned back to him. "Do you really think all of the teachers at Hogwarts are daft? You've been getting into spots of trouble since you were a fourth year."

"I can't say I've ever been in a spot of trouble I didn't enjoy in one way or another," Draco shrugged. "Can you say the same, Professor?"

"I choose my partners carefully," Severus shrugged. "Yes, I will admit –and Remus well knows, that he isn't the only person I've ever slept with, obviously, but I don't have dozens of notches on my bedpost, and I am comfortable with the number that are there, and I have never gone looking intentionally to add more, and I never intend to."

Draco shrugged, "So, you're calling me a slut just because I enjoy—"

"Can we stop talking about this, please? It's rather an uncomfortable subject, and I'm trying to do some serious research here." Harry bowed his head back over his book, shielding his face with his hand.

"Yes, please. You're making everyone uncomfortable with your blant sexuality." Severus stood back up with his now empty mug. "Anyway, continue with your research. I think we've had enough of a chat for now."

Draco waited until Severus had disappeared before turning back to Harry, "Does it bother you?"

"What?" Harry asked.

"Knowing that your Dad has sex, knowing how many partners he's had."

"I got over it," Harry shrugged.

Draco stood up, setting the papers aside to move towards the chair, pulling the large tomb out of Harry's hands, and wedging his knees into the chair cushion on either side of his hips, straddling him to the chair.

"Draco, get off of me," Harry pushed his palms against Draco's stomach, but Draco didn't budge, instead leaning forward to whisper in Harry's ear. "It makes you think, doesn't it? I look at your Dad, and I see you –how good you look, and I remember how you tasted..." His lips pressed under Harry's ear. "And I know you've been daydreaming about me…"

"No, now c'mon and get off of me. Before someone sees us." Harry pushed a little harder but the blonde continued to ignore him.

This time, Draco caught his lips, both of them savoring the kiss, though Harry did so with a distinct air of feigned unwillingness.

"Draco –we agreed that after I was back to…normal, that we wouldn't do this anymore."

"But you haven't shacked up with Ginny yet either," Draco pointed out. "In fact, I might go as far as saying that you and Gin-gin are pretty much over."

"Don't get so far ahead of yourself," Harry shook his head, his hands moving to rest on Draco's thighs. "Draco…what we had was fun, a lot of fun, but we both need to get serious here. Come September, we aren't even sure if Hogwarts will be a school, and you certainly can't make an appearance there. I'm sorry, but you're too dangerous."

"I'm dangerous? All I want to do is have sex with you, Harry. It's not like I want to get married or something."

"I just, I need to focus on what is important, and I'm afraid that sexing it up with you isn't very high on that list."

"I'm not important but you can sleep with Ron every night, right?"

"We slept together once –no, that's not right. We had sex once, and again it was fun, but I need to concentrate on getting ready to battle Voldemort."

Draco sighed, sliding back onto the floor, "Okay, I guess. I understand."

"I've told you before, Draco. You need to learn to control your hormones."

"Sex is how I control my hormones," Draco sighed again. "And I'm sick of being under wraps all of the time, sick of being treated like a fucking prisoner. I'm an of-age wizard, damn it. I should be able to come and go as I please, but you've got me holed up here like a rat."

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten what you've done," Harry shook his head, "What you were supposed to do."

"Of course I remember, but if you will recall, I didn't do it because I'm not a bad person, I'm a weakling."

"You aren't weak, don't get even start saying things like that." Harry shook his, standing up as Draco turned away from him, looking annoyed with himself. He paused for a moment before touching Draco's shoulder, turning him back to face him. "I'm really glad it wasn't you who killed Dumbledore. I didn't like hating you, okay?"

"But we hated each other for so long…"

"And then I got to know you, and I even sort of…fell in love with you." Harry shrugged, smiling softly. "And, when my Dad brought you back here, and you were all bloody and broke, I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to help you. I never got the chance to properly say goodbye to you before you fled and I felt sort of…cheated that you didn't tell me about your life."

"I wanted to, Harry! I wasn't sure if I could trust you with that kind of information. I wanted to show you so many times –I mean, I was like…proud. I was the youngest Death Eater ever, but I kept hiding it from you."

"I know, I couldn't figure out how you kept it from me. It's pretty obvious," Harry shrugged. "Does it…does it hurt?" He motioned towards where Draco was absentmindedly rubbing his arm.

"Just a little. Mostly he calls late at night, and there are times I have to keep from yelling out, but it does kind of ache throughout the day."

"I…I am sorry, Draco. About how you're treated around here. Like you aren't welcome. You just…you're a little different from the rest of us is all. You understand right?"

"Oh yeah, I get it. Still not sure if ickle Draco-kins, the naughty Slytherin, can be trusted, even after over a month and half under this roof?"

"Draco…what is it going to take to get you to stop sulking?"

A sly smile crossed Draco's lips and he shook his head, "What I want is out of the question…even if I told you that it would just be one last…perfect time." His hands went to Harry's hips and he kissed him softly.

"If I had a sickle for every time you told me 'just one last time', I'd be a galleonaire," Harry shook his head.

"But you're interested, I can tell." Draco smiled.

"I can't sleep with you again, not since I found out about you and your Dad."

"You're going to let that stop you? It didn't _mean_ anything to me, it was just…it was how we showed affection, I guess."

"Pretty disturbing way of showing affection," Harry shook his head.

Draco groaned, his arms moving to wrap around Harry's waist now, pulling him in for a less-then-chaste kiss, probing his mouth with his tongue while Harry moaned in protest. Draco made soft shushing noises, breaking the kiss to reposition his lips against Harry's, not giving him a whole lot of time to voice objection. "Admit it, Harry. You miss my mind-blowing kisses," Draco's hands went to Harry's shoulders, stroking his thumbs along the column of his throat.

"I admit nothing," Harry shook his head.

"C'mon…you like it," Draco's lips were soft as he kissed him a third time, his mouth traveling to his neck as he tipped Harry's head back. "It's not a bad thing, you shouldn't be ashamed of being aroused."

"I'm not ashamed, I just know that this is wrong, and I shouldn't do it."

"But being bad always feels so good."

"You sound like a shoddy muggle movie," Harry scoffed.

Draco ignored him, pushing him back onto the couch and pulling one of his legs around his hips, "It's been weeks for you, if what you say is true about Ron…and it's been even longer for me."

"By like two days," Harry scoffed.

"You taste sweet," Draco continued to ignore him, licking his lips. "Like…sugar quills, and chocolate frogs."

Harry didn't reply, knowing he would just be ignored again, instead, using his leverage to push Draco onto the floor, rolling over on top of him.

"Ow!" Draco reached up to the back of his head. "I think you've just given me a concussion!"

"Good, maybe that will teach you a lesson," Harry scoffed.

"I take this means our game is over?" Draco folded his arms behind his head.

Harry took a deep breath, before nodding, pushing up from the floor, and moving to step away from him, "Sorry, but yes –ack!" Harry found himself on the floor again as Draco grabbed his ankle, and pulled him back, just nearly missing the corner of the coffee table, sprawling haphazardly on his stomach. Draco covered him, pressing his cheek to Harry's ensnaring his wrists with his fingers.

"Why?"

"Because –we're not alone in the house, and everyone else could be back at any moment." Harry turned, looking at him with an annoyed expression.

"As if they don't already know that we're horny bastards," Draco licked his lips before lapping at the side of Harry's neck.

"_You_ maybe, but not me," Harry shook his head, trying to push Draco off him, but not having much success.

"Do you remember the first time we had _real_ sex? Not just, you know…the fondling and stuff…"

"You mean the time that you raped me? Yeah, it was pretty much burned into my memory, thanks."

"You still feel the same underneath me right now, like you did then." Draco ran a hand up underneath Harry's shirt. "It's hard to believe that being, you know, the same person in two different bodies, that you would be so…similar, but…everything that matters is the same." He raked his fingernails slightly against his skin, leaning forward to kiss the back of his neck. "The way you smell, the way you taste, the way your body responds when I touch you."

"Draco, _please_…" Harry sighed. "I don't want to fool around with you anymore."

"These words keep coming out of your mouth, but I have a hard time believing them."

"Well believe them," Harry sighed, looking up suddenly as the lock in the door turned and Molly, along with Ron, Ginny, and the twins filed through the doorway laden with bags of supplies for the next few days. At first they didn't notice the two in the living room, but Ron just happened to turn in response to something that Fred had said, and paused.

"What the bloody hell?"

"Ron –it's not…damn." Harry collapsed under Draco's weight as he tried to stand again. "Draco, would you get off of me already?"

"Don't fret," Draco pulled himself up from the floor. "We were just getting in a bit of exercise…reading papers is deathly boring, you know?" He dusted off his trousers as Harry pulled himself up from the floor –and a moment later Draco found himself pushed to the floor again, not making the narrow escape from missing the coffee table with a defining crack, this time pummeled by Ron. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ron," Harry pulled back on Ron's shoulders. "Come off it –he's not worth it."

Ron shrugged him off, beating Draco's head back against the floor again, roughly. Tears beaded at Draco's eyes, and his sight shifted out of focus for a few moments, but a laugh passed through his lips, and he reached up to touch the back of his head.

"Blimey, I think you made me bleed," Draco titled his head back to look at his fingers, now stained with blood.

"Good," Ron retorted, finally succumbing to Harry's hands on his shoulders, seeming content with the outcome.

"C'mon, Draco," Harry held out his hand to the blonde. "We should have my Dad or Molly look at your head."

"Let him bleed to death," Ron looked indignant, crossing his arms angrily over his chest.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Harry sighed at Ron, slowly helping Draco to his feet. "You don't just randomly attack people, Ron. Jeez."

"I wouldn't say it was random," Ron scoffed.

"I heard a thud –did I miss something?" Ginny appeared in the doorway. "Egad, Draco, why is there blood gushing out of your head?"

"Your brother attacked me and beat my head into the floor," Draco reached around, pressing his hand to the back of his head. "I feel a bit dizzy, perhaps I should sit down?"

"Whoa," Harry caught him around the waist, "Let's get you into the kitchen before you go passing out."

"Sure," Draco nodded slowly, leaning against Harry. Ron sighed, taking his other side.

"I'm sorry, I…it was a knee-jerk reaction." Ron sighed, pushing past Ginny. "I saw you two, and I guess I just couldn't help myself."

"Next time, just punch me. Don't crack my head open, okay?" Draco asked as the three of them pushed into the kitchen where Molly was ignoring what had been going on in the living room.

"What on earth--?" She turned from where she had been putting away their groceries, "Why are you bleeding?"

"Your son pounded me into the coffee table, thanks," Draco sank thankfully into one of the kitchen chairs, and Harry went for a towel.

"I said I was sorry!"

"Don't fret it," Draco looked up at him with a smile, "I would have done it too if I were you –I admit that I deserved it--playing with your toy without asking."

Molly raised a questioning eyebrow but didn't ask, moving around the table, and rapping her wand roughly against the back of Draco's head. He jumped, surprised, but found that his head had healed.

"Did you have to do it so hard?"

"It's all part of medical magic, dear. Now, why don't you all go take a rest or something? You've been working hard all afternoon, I'm sure you're tired from all of that dull reading,"

"Thanks, but it's OK, I think I'll go back to it," Harry pressed the damp towel to the back of Draco's head to get rid of the blood. "Maybe you should go get a shower though? You wouldn't want your hair to stain."

"Is…is that possible?" Draco asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think you want to find out either," Harry shrugged.

"Oh, right…I still feel kind of dizzy…maybe I should go lay down?" Draco started to stand again.

"Stop moving around," Harry sighed, scrubbing the towel over the back of his head. Draco groaned leaning on his elbows, holding his head steady. A few moments later, Harry stepped back, taking the towel to rinse it out in the sink. "Okay, you can go –can you get upstairs on your own?"

"I think so," Draco nodded, standing up slowly, holding onto the edge of the table as he moved towards the door.

"Why do you put up with him?" Ron asked, crossing his arms over his chest, watching Harry toss the wet rag into a bin under the sink.

Harry sighed, turning back to him, "Why are you suddenly so negative towards him? If you'll remember, you've been quite friendly with him yourself, Ron."

"I know, but…he doesn't harass me the same way he does you, but you just take it. Why? You could just hex him or something, and he'd never touch you again."

"This is Draco we're talking about," Harry scoffed, pushing out of the kitchen, taking their conversation away from Molly's all-hearing ears. "Me hexing him isn't going to stop him in the least."

"Then let me do it," Ron threw himself onto the touch as Harry made himself comfortable again next to him.

"Are you jealous of him?" Harry couldn't help the small smile passing his lips, looking over the top of his glasses at Ron as he pulled a new tomb onto his lap.

"Of course not, what would I have to be jealous of that prat for?" Ron scoffed, looking away.

Harry paused for a moment before putting the book down on the coffee table again, and moving closer to Ron, leaning in close to his ear, "I think it's cute that you're jealous…but nothing is happening between Draco and I. Not right now, even though we both want it…"

"Then you admit that you still like him?"

"Of course I like him," Harry nodded. "He knows what he's doing, and he can be very charming…but I'm telling him no, no matter how much either of us wants to."

"Then…you think I'm rubbish too?"

"Of course not," Harry moved on of his hands around Ron's waist, keeping an eye on the doorway, least Ginny or Mrs. Weasley were to enter. "I liked it, a lot. Hermione doesn't know what she's talking about when she says you're no good. You were very good when you were with me. He leaned back, his hand trailing along Ron's thigh now. "Maybe she just makes you nervous?"

"I don't know what the bloody hell is wrong with me," Ron sighed, leaning forward, and covering his head with his hands. "I was perfectly happy the way things were, and then I had to go and sleep with Draco, and Hermione broke up with me, and then I slept with you, and now I get this little…demon rearing its ugly head whenever I see you with him. It's terrible."

Harry nodded turning Ron's head and placing a small kiss on his lips before licking his lips, "Do you want to…tonight?"

Ron raised an eyebrow as though he didn't understand, but then blushed red, "I-I…I don't know, maybe?"

"If you don't want to, I might have no choice but to give into Draco." Harry teased.

"That's cruel," Ron scoffed.

Harry smiled again, and moved away, pulling the book back into his lap again, "All right, I need to get to work again, enough messing about with you."

Ron sighed, "Fine, I'll help."

"Good, you can start there where Draco had left off…and I think this evening, I might take another look at some of the memories that have been collected in the pensive, if you'd like to take a look with me."

"Sure," Ron nodded, moving from the couch to the chair that had thus been vacated by Draco. "I'd like that."


End file.
